Between show naps on loadout day. #tourlife

Streamer cannon #4 is cut today because a new security guy decided to stand in front of it. 🤦🏼‍♀️ (This is why we have the SM call an “enable the streamers” “cue.” It makes me visually check the cannons… Which one was not clear 😕 & we didn’t quite have enough time/access to make him move.)

Surprise! It’s one of those days where everyone’s cross-training has paid off. Nobody in lx or audio did our normal preshow. We started presets with only 3 out of 5(or6 counting swing) road crew… but everything got done. ( Ps- Our lx/audio crew swing is a rock star. )

South Dakota Public Broadcasting says there's an ironic result to President Trump's successful attack on public media: It will have to rely more on NPR programs.

The highest anxiety part of cross-training on a show is the first day I unplug. I’m not in the booth, not on com… and must fully trust that my cover can run the show. After being conditioned for years to the contrary… I’m still learning it’s okay for the show to go on without me there. #tourlife

Today’s contingency game… will your backup console successfully take over the show if the network does something g weird? And will your primary take over again cleanly when it wants to resync…? …Just before the big musical number… 😬

I spend a LOT of my time at work thinking about contingencies. Today it’s cross-training/coverage contingencies… We travel an audio/lx swing. She covers deck lx, a2, lx console and is starting to learn the a1mix. Deck lx covers spot. Spot also covers lx console (in a more lx-deep) way. 1/2

More theatres should have grassy areas… where a bunch (?), pack(?), bouquet(?) of Belles can frolic after the show. But also, what do you call a group of yellow Belles? (PS- there were more of them running around before I could snap this pic… it was a very vibrant scene of green and yellow).

“It’s a secret garden”: National Theatre turns roof into a riot of colour with dye plants

Milwaukee Rep estimates $5 million in damages at their production/storage facility due to this weekend’s flooding. Audio equipment, scenery, props, costumes were stored at facility, & are now damaged by floodwaters & sewage. The facility opened only a year ago.

Marketing folk here to record our presets for “getting ready for the show” type posts. It’s silly and fun to lean into… Kept the rainbow checkout running a little longer, and why yes, I can hit a bunch of buttons on my console for some extra content…(blind, next, next, next, page down, live…😂)

Air quality in Chicago today is um, not great…. This photo was taken during checkout with NO HAZER RUNNING… 😬

My FB feed has lit up this evening with all the (mainland/midwest) IATSE convention delegates reacting to the Tsunami warning they are preparing for…. Hopefully it ends up as an uneventful thing!

I got news (and a pic) of someone on another tour submitting their resignation via the letter printed on a cake. They are my hero. It’s brilliant. #tourlife

I knew there were a lot of different boat tour things on the Chicago river… it wasn’t until I was sitting at a restaurant on the river that I noticed how busy it can be! (On a Monday!)

Wow here’s one for the #TheatreFireSafety tag… www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...

Based on today’s novice-to-theatre-going audience, Every day when our show is in town is hereby declared as “Usher Appreciation Day.”

After a dark & gloomy hotel room last month, now I’ve got a corner room (east & south!) with huge windows. AND I have a view of Marina City towers (the “corncobs” in Chicago). I’m already in a better mood. #tourlife

Everyone who’s seen movie/show probably knows Belle’s line where after Gaston leaves, she says “is he gone?” Those in a little section at the back of the orchestra got a good giggle when a little girl in the audience answered “yes.” #tourlife is back. Show(preview) #1 in the books.

Our gafftape drawer celebrates Pride Month every day! #stageShotSunday

We have at least 3 (maybe 4?) 3D printers set up around the theatre this tech… Hand props, set trim, workbox storage solutions, battery holders, nifty tools… you name it- there’s a printer working on it. Talk about a new generation of of tech process…

I generally avoid confrontations. Therefore the highest anxiety part of doing laundry at a hotel is the minute when I (finally) stop waiting and take someone’s clothes out of a machine. Me chanting to myself; “Please don’t show up” “please don’t show up” while I’m touching their stuff… #tourlife

A 53’ trailer with the lion king wrap was here today. No we are not loading in Lion King. (It was our show deck being delivered.)

Yes it’s May. Yes we have a stocked Halloween bucket. This workbox candy bucket is like three years old, but still going strong and critical to the success of the show.

For my fellow Lighting nerds:

#Tourlife: When the road crew says: “We’re here for two weeks” It has very different meanings depending on if you’re on a full pink tour (Hamilton/Lion King/Wicked), or a bus’n’truck small tour.

At “Gypsy” Bway- Show stopped letting folks in, then restarted seating late… at :14 after SM made announcement referring to the torrential rain that had occurred hour earlier… Uh… did we flood a basement in a newly remodeled theatre or something? I’m dying to know.

Why are some venue tech specs sooo awful? They’ll make sure to tell me they have a 6’ ladder, but not anything about their dimmers… Brand? FOH Transfer panel? Do they have anything?

My Shop day 1 is everyone elses’ day 3. I have zero clue what’s going on… 😂

#Tourlife is getting the “my room is ready” notification from the east coast hotel when I’m waiting to board my flight on the west coast… 😎

Previous show has some leftover dry ice… I am accepting ideas for where Hamilton could use it…

My funemployment/mini-retirement is over. I’m setting out on my next full-time tour… Shop prep beginning this week. Repacking my life back into the format of 2 suitcases, backpack, shoulder bag & my tools-kit has been a multi-day, deeply over-analyzed process.

I have learned more about sump pumps & radon mitigation in the past 2 days than I ever cared to: Our apt (duplex houses) maintnc man said “everything was fine” when we were actually like an 1” away from wet basement because our sump pump wasn’t working & our radon intake pipe was sucking water.

On Friday, April 11, traders placed large, aggressive bets that Apple’s stock would jump within days. They bought contracts that would only be profitable if the stock moved up fast. Hours later, the White House quietly announced a major policy shift. data-and-politics.ghost.io/173-returns-...

Today is the day we took the insulation plastic off the windows and opened every window in the house… The fresh air and breeze is simply delightful. #spring

I got to focus lights this week! When most of my tours are now 90-100% MLs, and/or because I am usually delegating this task away to others… this is now a rarely used skill! #StageShotSunday

Being mostly unemployed, I have spare time and thus I’ve decided to tackle my own taxes. Something like 10 states… and a part-year residency as well. Am I crazy? Stay tuned!

In case there are any trumpy IATSE members left in the world, he's gonna shank you too. The Kennedy Center IA crew is one of the best I've worked with and they don't deserve this kind of targeting.

At least 50 killed in North Macedonia nightclub fire, reports say

This is an example of a very ugly bad day parking lot loadin: #USITT25

Some single artists have, but I think this is the first big show: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/t...

First session highlight…. Putting your Source4s in the dishwasher as a maintenance method is generally Not Recommended. #usitt

Either it’s the end of the world, or Ohio does their sirens test on the first Wednesday at Noon…

Purely speculation- but I think half of this flight to Columbus are theatre people heading to the conference… We have a certain look… college students, IA or logos, etc.

Today: Portland, Oregon to finish loading in a show. Tomorrow: Columbus, Ohio for USITT. You do the math. #RedEye #TravelNight

Today’s #Tourlife #travelday. Flight 1: upgraded to first class, arrived 45min early. 👍 Flight 2: boarded, engine leaking, deplaned for new aircraft, computer manifest issues while reboarding, then on final approach had a pull up/go-around due to aircraft on runway. Over 3hr total delayed. 👎

Theatre schools: please make sure you teach your Stage Management students how to stop a show mid-performance. This is something that they will have to do at some point (likely several points) in their careers. Don't let them out into the world without this knowledge.

Running spot this weekend. Venue booth has open air rooftop access… useful to cool off since booth AC not great. Note to self: bring sunglasses to spot booth for matinees. 😎 “Sunny-snow day” to “spot-booth dark” is a bit of an eyeball exercise.

If I had a band or a label, I would do a punk cover of "No More Kings" from Schoolhouse Rock. And then I would gather a bunch of people to write a whole album of next-generation Schoolhouse Rock songs, with songs about Social Security and Medicaid and NOAA. I am not kidding in the least.

Six semesters of sewing in my college’s costume shop has prepared me for this moment: ….repairing dog toys so they might survive another 5 minutes. 🤦🏼‍♀️