… the calm before the storm as it were. The Rogue is just around the corner… and just before that… Mardi Gras.
Last year was a busy one for me as I was involved in both. In fact, this time last year, I had just gotten back from Seattle and was furiously doing rewrites and clean-up on my new play before it premiered at the fest. Added to that… I was also King of Mardi Gras and was also in the throes of organizing my krewe. All of this unfolding in a span of 4 weeks.
That is not the case this year. It’s a little more relaxed without the pressure of mounting a production of a brand new play or being in a parade.
A little more relaxed… perhaps… but never inactive. With the Rogue comes Rogue Salons… a daily morning gathering (with coffee… and sometime eats) of performer friends (local and out of town) congregating at my place under the gazebo to commiserate or recover from the debauchery of the previous evening. This is a daily ritual that runs about 10 days. The big difference this year will be the absence of salon co-host Kurt Fitzpatrick.
So, it is time to spruce up the area… and stock up on supplies… coffee, creamer, cups and toilet paper… not necessarily in that order. In effect, this will be spring clean season… in the middle of winter.
I’ve heard through the grapevine that there will be a lot of new acts this year strutting their stuff for the stage. I always look forward to new work. There is also the fun of meeting new folk… and some of them will also become friends in time.
So, yeah… a bustling time is coming up… and I’m looking forward to it.