Crockett, TX

Here's what happened on days 1 & 2 of the tour: We flew into Houston on Friday, 10/21, Day 1, rented two vehicles and drove the 2.5 hours or so to Crockett (I was a driver along with our director, Bill). We didn't get in until about 10 pm, and we had been invited to hear some bluegrass music and eat BBQ at a great little venue, "Camp Street Cafe".

We heard the tale end of a musical set by Del Ray, a woman from Seattle playing a mean electric guitar and steel ukulele. From the owners Pip and Guy Gillette, we heard all about the musical history of Crockett, especially the African American influence, and also learned that the ONLY statue of an African American musician in the whole state of Texas, is right across from the Camp Street Cafe - Lightnin' Hopkins.

View of the audience from off stage right

 On Day 2, Saturday, 10/22, we were free until about 1:30; I worked out in the hotel gym, sat out by the outdoor pool enjoying the 86 degrees (ended up getting a little burnt from the sun!), and then teched the show. We performed in the evening for about 300 + folks and had a talkback afterwards where they generally asked questions about the inception of the show, and if any of us had had any experience (ourselves, or in our families) with military service or loss; only one or two people in the cast have any family military history.

A couple things about performing this show:

Focusing Lights before tech

(1) For certain (Southern) venues - and the school performances - we are asked to remove some of the "colorful" language (for this show, it was all the "F" words; in the school shows, we also take out "bastard," "shit," and others). During the talkback, when the audience was informed of this, they thanked us profusely. I find this a very interesting phenomenon: While the Southern part of the US seems to hold some of the greatest support for military personnel, it is ironic to me that they would rather hear a somewhat watered-down version of the soldier's stories. I have both personal and artistic reaction to this need to censor art, but especially for this show, because this show is comprised of real letters by real people, telling about very difficult experiences. We all know that soldiers - especially Marines - are notorious for their colorful language, so to not include that aspect is rather naive and even less-than-truthful.  My feeling about the relationship between art and obscenities is this: There are people in this world who talk and behave in certain ways, and when they are portrayed in theatre or film through characterizations, they should be portrayed in their true colors, fully. Otherwise, the audience is not seeing the whole person, but rather a non-authentic version - perhaps an imaginary version that is easier to digest. 

But what do I know? I'm just thinking out loud. (Of course I do understand that there are considerations beyond the pure artistic merit of the show, such as what the local benefactors - who are paying for all this - want for their audience.)

 (2) The directors for the show, Kevin & Bill, encouraged us to think of someone special for each show, to whom we dedicate the show, or for whom we are doing the show. It's like this as an actor/performer: When you know you have family or friends in the audience, there is a tendency to raise the stakes and put forth a stronger performance (whatever that means for you as the performer), as opposed to when you're doing a show for an audience of unknowns (which is what the bulk of the performances on this tour will consist of). Given the emotional requirements of this show, we must be 110% invested for every show, and dedicating it to someone can help. SO: I dedicated this first show of the long tour, to my high school friend, ROGER PHIILLIPS, who served in Desert Storm (I think that's right?). I know very few military personnel personally, so having grown up with Roger (and yes, having a crush on him in high school :-), is close to home. Roger is alive and well, living in Chatham, IL with his lovely wife and two stunning daughters.

I'm almost done with this entry! After the show, we ate a late dinner at Mexican restaurant, Los Ranchos (we were the only ones in there!), 

Mexican food at 11 pm!

Los Ranchos - Margaritas as big as your head.

then went to the American Legion right near the Crockett Civic Center (they had invited us for drinks and stayed open, waiting for us). There were 7 hearty souls waiting there for us, including a Vietnam POW, a lovely bartender, and James, the Commander of the post. We were bought at least two rounds by the generous folks in there. I spent the next hour and a half talking to James, all about his military and personal history. James reminded me a lot of my dad (JAMES ARRIGO) - not just because of his namesake, but his age, and the fact that he was wearing overalls (what my dad wore every day to work in the machine shop when I was growing up!). So, my heart felt really drawn to
James. Here's what I learned from him:

* James was born in '44, was drafted at age 22 in '66 (the year I was born!); he went to Vietnam and he was there 1 year and 3 days. He came home to his wife and newborn, and spent his working life in the oil fields.
 * He is the Commander of that American Legion Post, and named all the many people who are under him. I forgot how many members they have at that post, but I learned that to be a member of American Legion, you must have been in the service at the time of an active conflict, while to be a member of VFW, you must have fought in a war. Also, at the time he finished serving in Vietnam, the VFW did not recognize Vietnam as a "foreign war," but that has since changed.

James, the Commander of the American Legion Post in Crockett

* James (and Crockett for that matter) is what you'd term, "real country folk." James and another man said that with pride, in describing themselves and the town. James smoked Marlboro lights 100's and tore off the filter. (I asked him why he didn't just buy filterless and he said, "These are $2 cheaper.") He drank Coors light after Coors light, coughed up a storm, and shared his stories I asked of him, graciously and fully. He said he especially loved my role in the show (I play four different mothers of soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan), because in his words, "Us soldiers knew what we were getting into, but not the moms;" he seemed to get tearful when he said this.

 For me, this is what the experience of this tour is all about: Meeting new people - the local people - hearing their stories, listening. I was so tired last night, but talking to James was such a unique experience (and I know other cast members spent focused time talking to the other veterans and loved all their stories, too); it was worth the lost sleep!

The cast and some of the veterans at the American Legion Post