Hello again, and greetings from Wycherly Gulch. This is our final week here. The Gulch has been built, taken down, rebuilt, rained on, taken down, and rebuilt a final time for the last Hoorah of this project. We were at Artscape last weekend, and although the rain came in we still had an amazing time. The band set up to play wherever there was dry space. We did living tableau and had tons of people come and take pictures with us; we had many compliments and got to experience what it really would have been like to do Restoration Comedy outside with a live pit (both as in live music and a full live audience). We had hecklers, and weather and competing noise. The only thing missing were the girls selling oranges in the crowd.
So here we are almost at the end of the line with our very large and complicated piece. And I have to say I am looking back on it today very proudly. We assembled a cast that we are proud of, who are full of energy and life. They will stand outside, shin deep in rain water holding a tarp over top of a wooden structure hoping it will save at least a little bit of the set dressing. They will stay late into the evening moving the set, and re-building. They will jump right into singing live with the band, or will easily be choreographed into a large bar fight. They will stand in the sun, and bring you cold water, and pass the sun screen when you ask for it—-sometimes even before you ask. They will learn their lines, and feed you lines and roll with the punches that come with mounting a large show at a festival and then moving it into a gallery space. They will do all this, gladly and at the end of the day they will thank YOU for inviting them to be part of this. And all we can do is be in awe of their grace and understanding.
We are proud of this show. Of the cast, the crew, the direction, the costumes, the massive set, the ability of everyone to take a deep breath in the middle of their Summer and give up so much time to us. We are very grateful. We are very humbled.
And we are very tired.
After this show closes, and the bit of wooden pallet is gone, the floor swept, the burlap folded away for the next time, Stillpointe will be taking a breather. We feel good about what we did and we are ready for the next challenge. More than anything, I think we feel like we’ve really taken a huge project head on and succeeded. And—-that is no small or easy thing.
These thoughts and feelings are premature however. There is still work to be done, there are lines still to be stuck further into the brain, there is tempo and pace and makeup and hair and an array of last minute things that will need to get done tonight—-because tomorrow you all get to see it. And we hope you do. We’ve worked hard and we want you to come and laugh and enjoy a Country Wife weekend with us.
Because like the summer, before you know it, it will be gone. The Country Wife will be done and Wycherly Gulch will be a hazy summer memory.
Come and get into it with us.
We look forward to seeing you all at the Gulch.
