Wizard of Oz Fragments

I was in a local production of "The Wizard of Oz" this summer....here are the fragments.

My youngest daughter was in a production of "Annie" this past winter and she loved it. When she heard the same church theater group would be doing "The Wizard of Oz", she was determined to audition for a part again.  In fact, my other two kids got excited by the whole idea as well and decided to audition for "munchkins". 

I think I was sitting at the table goofing around with them, giving my "wizard" voice when they told me they wanted me to audition...in fact, they told me they wouldn't audition without me. I feigned a little that I wasn't interested, but it was mainly for self-protection.  I figured the director had someone else in mind, or there were politics involved.  That said, the kids were persistent in their begging, Besides, I figured it would be fun just to try out and make some memories with the kids.

At the audition they called up everyone, no matter the part and asked for us to the sing a little of the "Jolly Old Land of Oz" as a big a group. No problem. So far, I am acing this thing as I can read a little bit of music and can sing okay. Then, to my the horror, they asked for us to dance. I told them I was only trying out for  the role of Oz, but they insisted that they wanted to see what everyone could do.

There I was, the only grown man on stage, surrounded largely by girls under the age of 14, a couple of boys and a few older ladies. The director wanted to see if we could learn a quick dance routine on the spot and to put it into practice. To put it mildly,  I was terrible. So terrible that I just had to laugh while I was up there. They asked us to improvise our ending move and I ended up falling over, which got a few laughs. At least they could see I had a good attitude about the whole thing.

In the weeks prior to the audition, I had practiced a few lines at home given the availability of scripts online.  I focused my attention on the "award scene" in the aftermath of when Oz has been discovered and delivers awards and mini-monologues to Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion awards.




Frank Morgan's performance is inspired and just about, well, perfect. He is playful, wise and has a twinkle in his eye.  To step into such a beloved role and performance was intimidating.

It was obvious this was a perfect audition scene and when I practiced at home I used my  "Map Maker voice"....which requires a little explanation. As I have covered here, I am a storyteller for the kids and one my main characters for my stories is the Map Maker. Coincidentally he is also an old wizard and he has a strange accent that I created from somewhere in my strange head.  It's a almost English/North Eastern American thing and I am not quite sure where I picked it up from, but it's definitely fits the character. It's given with an older affect and honestly, people like the voice. In fact, I would guess most of the specific compliments given to me were about my voice for the character. 

While other actors auditioned for various parts, the director told me the "medals scene" would be the scene I would audition with, so I got a bit of practice in as well.  Finally, it was my turn and frankly,  I nailed it. I could tell I was doing well....but it just felt good and the director looked happy. I tried it with my regular voice a second time but that didn't work out too well. It seemed like the Map Maker and Oz were meant to be. As I stepped off the stage the director told me I would be one of the Oz's for sure....the productions are so popular, they double-cast all the lead roles.

So, that was that and I had been cast as a "lead" of a real stage production.

Of course, I've had a little experience on the stage from time to time, but nothing too fancy.  The last significant stage production I had been in was a mini-Christmas production for Christmas Eve service at church a few years ago. However, almost all my lines were pre-recorded, as the audience was supposed to hear my thoughts. There was practically no pressure, except to not trip on my own two feet.

My previous other roles included some church stuff in high school and my roles in "The Music Man" my senior year. I was one of the traveling salesmen (actually had the first line of the whole play), a towns-person and sang the town songs and was a dancer to the "Shipoopi" with my future wife! I can't believe I had to Google "Shipoopi" to figure out how to spell it. I will eventually blog about this experience but suffice to say I was very nervous for the first scene and after that I could just have fun and blend in with the rest of the cast. 

The kiddo's were also cast, E & H were munchkins and C was a Poppy flower and a Oz-ian citizen. It was a family affair!

While it was "only a church production" this church really offers some impressive stuff. The directors have worked in NYC and have actually done professional work.

I mean, check out my crazy head that was projected when I was Oz. Technology never fails to amaze me. This looked surprisingly professional. 

They had a total of eight shows, which meant all the leads would have four shows each.

So while I was a "lead" by strict definition, I had strange role. Two of my six scenes were pre-recorded and five of the six scenes are in the second act of the play. So while I was required to be at many Act I rehearsals, I had little to do but sit around and fret about my scene in Act I. Even when I got around to it, we would do it "one and done" style, as the director seemed to have supreme confidence in me. Besides, they had all sorts of stuff to get to for Dorthy and the others like singing and dancing, etc.

I didn't mind it all the downtime though, it was interesting to watch the show come together. Still, I was bit of an outsider. Almost all of our leads were in their 20's and in college, while I am an old man. Two exceptions were the other Oz (in his 50's) and one of the witches (in her mid- 40's). Mirroring my participation with the stage, I barely got to know them until we started rehearsing, while most of them had worked together at least a few times.

After the first few weeks of rehearsals on Act I, we finally dived into Act II. This was a welcome change but also, things started to move pretty fast. I was given one full day of  warning to record my big Oz head scenes. I didn't think it was a big deal as I knew my lines "OK" and I figured I was have multiple takes. No problem.

The next evening came and I went down early to have my face painted and record my scenes. If I am being honest, (and hey no one reads this blog anyway, so why not?)....it was pretty cool. On a technical side, I hated it. I don't like anything near my eyes but on practical side, it felt like I was in show business.

The best selfies are with make-up on.

The problem with only having a day's notice is that my memorization of the script was not that good. Especially when everyone is just staring at you and especially when you have a huge light directed into your face and you're not supposed to look anywhere but straight ahead. It was weird and I am obviously making excuses here....but I felt like I was choking. It was the first time I really started to doubt myself in the production.  If I was grading myself, I would give my performance a B but this is because the "producer" of the digital effect could combine my takes. I felt pretty bad about the whole thing but the director was fine and everyone was supportive and kind-hearted about the whole thing.

 After weeks of rehearsals, we were finally ready to open the show.  I was nervous, more nervous than I had originally expected. I was on the side-stage listening to Dorthy sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and realizing...this was it and there was no turning back. My first performance was so-so, but as someone later said, I got better each performance and it really felt that way. I mean, I could get technical - my first scene the third night was the best while my last scenes on the fourth night was the best ya know, no one but me could even sense a difference.

A few photos from my scene as Professor Marvel in Act I. Act I was in gray or "black and white" to mirror the film. It was a cool idea.

My favorite part of the whole endeavor was adding something different each night. One night, it was a mistake, but both "Dorthy" and I found our way back as we both knew the script. Dorthy was great -  talented, professional in demeanor and had a great attitude.  She also seemed like a great person off stage too. Being that the majority of my lines come with Dorthy, it was fortunate that we had a little chemistry.

In my first scene, Dorthy has run away from home when she meets Professor Marvel. Once Marvel figures out what's going on, he tries to "con" her back home. This is such fun character type to play - the con man with a heart of gold. Anyway, one night I decided to add a bit to the performance and asked Dorthy as she's attempting to get in "tune with infinity" if she's ever done this before, because she's a "natural". My fellow actor didn't bat an eye...and I was pleased when we got a few laughs.

After Act I, I would get to hang out "back stage" - an adjacent fellowship hall next door. It was fun to hang out with my kids and check on them as needed. The kids did so well, the little one's aced the dance moves and the older one sang great. the show was a great for their confidence. I could see growth in all their performances. In particular, given the research that shows adolescent girls lose confidence from 10-13, it was nice to be a part of something that can help build confidence and character.

Act II is where the Wizard's role is actually meaty, although, again, two of my scenes were pre-recorded. I would still waltz in the back of the room, just in case there were technical problems and I would then voice the Wizard from the back. Nothing happened, but it was still fun to walk in wearing a cape.  It's a little known fact that if you're walking wearing a cape it increases your confidence by 90%. My costume was a little silly but it did get me into character.

I loved the "awards" scene out of all my scenes.  I would practice my monologues driving to work, in the shower or really during any part of my day I was alone. I rarely slipped up, as I knew it so well. Right before I would go out on this scene I wasn't nervous but actually excited.  It felt like the character and I would zen into one being at this point during the show.

Immediately after the awards scene is the farewell in the hot air balloon. Look, it is local theater. We had it set up on wheels and I would "float" away back stage. It wasn't all that bad. After I flew away, I had to rush backstage to a different area, get back into my Professor Marvel costume quickly to be ready to be back in Kansas. That was by far, the most nerve wracking part of the role. Also, changing in front of people isn't a big deal when you are properly motivated to do it quickly and get your mic back on.

During my speech in the balloon, I would look at the cast, specifically looking for my three kids.  Usually, I could find one or two and this would make me happy. 

After my fourth performance, it was all over. All the hours to learn a very specific skill - the lines, the motions, etc. were now essentially - useless. All these specific people in specific roles, whom accomplished a goal as a team would never be brought back together again.  It already feels poignant and this was only six months ago!

Another thing I loved from this experience was the challenge of it all. I haven't really had a "real" role ever, not like this....and here I am, 41, and trying something new. It felt like I was stretching a muscle that hadn't been used in a long, long time and it felt good. I am grateful for the experience. After all, isn't that what life's about - trying something new and having fun with those you love the most?

Peru Fragments: Part VII: The End of the Road

In the summer of 2014, I taught a short-term study abroad in Peru. Here are the fragments. Part VII can be found here.

What would be my last meaningful leg of the journey was going to take us to Puno and Lake Titicaca. We loaded up at the bus station in Cuzco early in the morning and settled in for an all-day bus trip.

The bus was nice enough and they had an "active" itinerary for us. With 3-4 stops along the way to give us a chance to stretch our feet. I appreciated the intent, it gave us something to see, something to do, etc. but on the last stop at a tiny museum,  I was just ready to get to our destination.  Nonetheless here are few photos from some of the sites:

I dunno, a window of an ancient structure.  If you've followed the Peru series by now, you know I am pretty much obsessed with shots like this. 

I liked this green example of pareidolia, especially the eyes.

Some old church in some small town, somewhere in Peru.

We finally arrived in Puno after a 9 hours of traveling. Puno itself isn't much to look at. The main attraction is of course, the highest elevated navigable lake in the world (and one of the best named lakes in the world) Lake Titicaca. We drove straight to the hotel (Eco Inn) and had dinner at the hotel (pretty decent). After a decent breakfast, we were off to the dock to explore the lake.

The water of Lake Titicaca was the bluest blue I have ever seen.

The water was so calm, our slow motorboat trip was so peaceful, you could forget you were even on the water.

Our guide for the next few days was pretty tripin'. Up until this point our guides had been friendly but pretty standard fare. Our guide for Lake Titicaca was much more open than our other guides and was more personal with us. We found out how she occasionally washed her hair in her own urine. Later on she told us about how she found out her future from someone who read coca leaves for her. She also told us that to find out what was wrong with a health problem, she had a guinea pig lay on her while she slept (I guess it was in a container of some kind), and then in the morning, they killed it to "read" its guts and tell her what was wrong with her. She was the real deal.

Our first stop was to the Uros islands. These are man-made islands that people actually live on! They've lived there so long they have their own unique culture (one that now is dependent on tourists coming to take photos of their unique living circumstances). It was cool to be there but it felt a little too "touristy" for me. The actual island is made up from reeds that grow in the lake "tortas" and it felt a little mushy, but strong. Apparently, they have to slowly but constantly rebuild it as the reeds rot underwater. Cool, but in retrospect, it was cooler in my imagination.

Then we headed over to the Llachón peninsula. I thought our plan was to stay at a local family's home but it was more of a B-n-B that was locally owned.  There were 3-4 unheated rooms with 2 beds each and an outhouse-like bathroom. There was no shower or bath for visitors. It was close to the lake and very quiet. 

We had a home cooked fish lunch that hit the spot and then we were ready to party. 

Yes, party. 

Our guide let us know there was party going on in town celebrating one of the saint's days. We had been to a few events that were set-up just for tourist but this time, the celebration was authentic and that was nice for a change. We were the only tourists there and we made for quite a sight.  Before we had left our "hotel", our host and guide and encouraged us to dress in the traditional grab before we went to the fiesta. I found this a little silly like if you should wear a cowboy hat because you're visiting in Texas. 

I felt a little ridiculous, but whatever, when in Rome...I also felt so cheap and trendy with the record amounts of selfies I was taking at this point. My quarters were behind me to the left, right after the archway. 

 We watched a local dancing celebration for about an hour. Some of the show was quite humorous, while we found other aspects baffling but it was a good time. The locals pretty much stayed clear of us, I didn't know how exactly how to take that....

After the celebration, we took in sunset on the shores of Lake Titicaca. It was a pretty nice moment. It was a good to be alive. 

A female sheep herder brought her flock down to the shore for one last drink before the day was over. 

That night we had another solid home cooked dinner and our hosts (a mother and her son) sang some tunes with us. Then, came the main event. Because our students at inquired at the mention, our guide had found someone to "read" our fortunes or answer questions by reading coca leaves for us.  He was called (and forgive me but this is going to sound made up) a "ya titty". I tried googling this to no avail, but just saying "Ya Titty" got way too many chuckles and laughs from one of our students and I. 

Anyway, our "ya titty" was almost toothless and looked like he'd had a rough day. We sat around the dinner table and an actual hush came over the table. Even I felt like I needed to speak in hushed tones suddenly but remember our questions were going to be answered by an old man dropping and swirling coca leaves on a table. Two of our female students asked about their romantic relationships or partners (they actually asked for us to leave the room as privacy was offered and taken). Our new age hippie student, asked about what college he should be transferring to. When it came to my colleague, he asked if he should go to law school or more graduate school in philosophy. Surprisingly he didn't really answer the question but the ya titty did tell him he would have a daughter in the next year. This made both C and I laugh as our guide, some of students and definitely the ya titty didn't know that this was a very unlikely event to occur. My colleague, C is gay male and while he is in a long-term relationship, they are not looking to adopt any time soon.

I didn't want to partake at all. First of all, at least 4 of the 5 students, some what college-educated students (two of them actual "Adults")  were taking this "ceremony" way too seriously. They sat around really watching the leaves as if this was a real reading of their future. I had a hard time keeping my mouth shut as it was all so dreadfully stupid.  My colleague ended up talking me into asking a silly question about work (long story) but I didn't get the answer I was looking for either!

Later, we came to find out our female student's questions had gotten very negative answers. They actually seemed annoyed and bothered by it, but I told it them it was crazy b.s. and that they were in control of their own futures (as much as humanly possible) not some coca leaves.

It was time for bed and as we paired off to our rooms, our host gave us a heated water bottle. I was a little perplexed but our guide told us, this was to heat up our beds.  Our rooms were unheated and it was cold night on the shore of the lake. The water bottle was a life-saver and it kept the bed warm well into the night. I remember that night I felt like I had a deep sleep. Restful and ready for what I felt like anything. It was last restful night I had for a long time.

The next morning we got up and left for Taquile Island, which was about an hour away. First we had one last hike in Peru. This time it was about a 30 minute hike at a fast pace up a very steep hill face. I tried to keep up with our male student F (pictures below) but couldn't do it. One more challenge but the sight of the lake below and Bolivia made it worth it.

 

I had been told Taquile island wasn't authentic but on further review, I thought it kinda was. First thing you notice is the archway to the path and the archway right before town. It was built by the community, not contractors. Second, the agency takes you to the pre-determined location for lunch. It's determined by the island government, so that everyone partakes in the money from the tourists equally. It's not about competition and letting the free market reign but balance and fairness. That's as foreign as you get compared to America's values.

The restaurants have pretty much the same food. Notice the rococo peppers on the fish. This was a nice lunch. Later a kitty came by and some of my students fed it some of their fish. 

We did some minimal shopping but the prices were very high and I think all of us were tired of shopping at this point in the trip. We hiked back down the other side of the island. It was downhill but still a good work out.

If you've read any of this Peru series you know I love windows, doors and archways. The archways on Taquile were really cool because they had those heads on the ends. It reminded me of Gothic churches in Europe but a toned down, simple, Peruvian style. 

When I hiked I usually went at my own pace. It was great to sneak in alone time and have space for my own thoughts.  On the way down I discovered this little lost lamb bleating out for his mother. I tried to console him to no avail but he still followed me. Eventually, I saw his reunification with this mother. It was a nice moment.

Finally, we made the long trip back to Puno. It was a peaceful trip and at least half our crew slept in the warm boat but I couldn't sleep a wink. We got back to our hotel and cleaned up for dinner. We planned on going out to a nice place where they had dancers and finally get to eating some cuy again. The time before I had been feeling ill and only had one bite. I was looking forward to a nice night out. But that wasn't going to happen.

I was sharing a room with my colleague C and our student F. F was on his phone texting and while I was sending photos of our trip out from the lake to my wife. We had been offline for a few days and I was eager to check in on the fam.  C was in the shower getting ready for dinner. Then I received a series of texts from my wife that changed our lives forever.

My wife was on her way to visit her brother and his family in Austin. It was supposed to be an informal "pop in" visit for a few hours and then she was supposed to head home after a long trip with her family and the kids from Wisconsin.

When she texted me, she was outside of his house. Police cars were there and her dad who had been riding with her went in to see what was going on. They had found out on the way that her brother had stormed out of the house with a gun after a fight with his wife. He had been struggling with alcoholism for the past several years and today he had been drunk when he came home. She was in the car with all three of our kids, just waiting on pins and needles to find out what was happening.

Then she texted me the news. He was gone. He had killed himself two hours or so earlier. The pain was primal, almost physical. I hurt for my wife, his wife and two young sons and my in-laws. My worst fear from traveling had come true - I was hopelessly far away and something tragic had occurred.

I instantly started bawling and my poor student didn't know what was happening. He was a sweet kid about it, said the right things and largely staying silent. I imagine it was a pretty big shock to see his professor crying like a baby. I swore like a sailor, especially cursing guns and the gun industry that sells fear and paranoia but the stats tell us hand guns are much more likely to be used for suicide than any other use. More than homicide and more than defending your house against someone breaking in.
My colleague C stepped out of the shower to hear me crying. Both C and F were so great they offered to stay with me in the room the rest of the night but I just wanted to be alone. I told them to go to dinner and that I actually wanted to be alone to think through this.  I had many details to learn,  phone calls to make and tears to cry.  It was a nightmare and I felt guilty for being so far away from the love of my life in her darkest hour. I failed to be there for her and there was nothing I could do.

Our plane was leaving Puno at 6:00 the next morning to Lima.  The Puno airport was being renovated and somehow, they couldn't heat the airport. It was freezing cold inside the airport. It was an all-around horrible experience. Cold and sad. The original plan was for us to spend two days in Lima but I wanted to get home ASAP. After our arrival to Lima and a torturous phone call with United Airlines the best I could do was fly out at near midnight that evening. I would be arriving home a day early, so it was better than nothing.

That meant I still had to be in Lima the whole day just waiting to get home. It was a horrible day. We didn't do much, lunch at as sub par restaurant, went to a museum and went walking around town. It was a cloudy day and fit with my mood. I just wanted to go home. I said a hasty set of good byes to the students and my colleague got me a taxi to take me to the airport. He insisted on riding with us, just to ensure everything went well. He really didn't need to do that but he's a great guy and close friend. He insisted on paying for the taxi as well (it wasn't cheap).

It was odd coming home alone. It equally strange to come down from such an amazing high to the lowest of lows. A dream had come true and a nightmare had started. I suppose it's life in a nutshell. The healing process is still going on for our family but at least we have each other. That's all you can ask for.

So, those our my fragments from my study abroad to Peru. It will always linked to this tragedy and yet, I can't forget it was an amazing trip.