And Hello Again Again

After a few months off, it’s time to return to the blog.  So hello again!

It was hard to get back in the swing of things.  The move from Virginia and from Wayside really threw me for a loop.  After being so firmly and comfortably established there, going somewhere else made me feel like a Freshman again.  I thought I was too old to feel like that.  Apparently not.

That said, I’m feeling fairly settled in to what will be my home for the summer.

I’m writing to you now from my temporary digs in Fayetteville, PA, where I’m working at Totem Pole Playhouse.  They are celebrating their 59th season of producing, so the theater has a very rich history.  This stage has seen the likes of Jean Stapleton, John Ritter and Mary Tyler Moore to name a few.

We are currently performing a remount of Wayside’s Cotton Patch Gospel, and it seems to be going over fairly well here…despite a few walkouts.

This is a modern-day retelling of the book of Matthew and some folks are just not ready to have their Gospel reinterpreted.  To some, what we are doing is sacrilegious.  I have some  strong feelings about that, but I think that may be for another post.

Anyway, it’s nice to be back in the blogsaddle again.  This time around I may not be posting every day.  That got to be a bit much.  I’ll try to come here when I actually have something to say.

And I’ll come here on Fridays.  So we can all dance.

See you tomorrow.

[Photo: Totem Pole Website]

Hello Again

Had a bit of internet time, so I thought I would check in.  Had a wonderful time out west and am now enjoying a short stay in Chicago.

Soon it will be to Pennsylvania and the next adventure.

Goodbye For Now

Well, most of my stuff is packed and my time in Northern Virginia is drawing to a close.  It has been wonderful, and I’m better for having been here.

I’ll be at Totem Pole in a few weeks, and will be traveling a bit until then.  This means that I may not be able to update the blog for awhile.  Not sure.

I will try and Tweet from my phone every so often.  Again, you can find my Twitter feed on the side bar, or you can follow me here.

Thanks to all of you who visited this little blog of ramblings.  I’ll definitely be back to it in the middle of May.

Oh and if you miss the Friday Dance Party, check out Armchair Actorvist, my friend R. Scott’s blog.  I think his is better!

Cotton Patch – Closed. For Now.

So much is happening, but there’s no time to write about it.  Isn’t that always the way?

We closed Cotton Patch Gospel yesterday with two really strong shows.  The end of that show signified quite a few milestones.  It was the end of Wayside’s 47th season, it was the end of Warner’s 10th season as Artistic Director, it was the last show for our current intern company and it was my last Wayside show as a resident actor.

I think that covers all of the ends and lasts.  Now for some beginnings.

In a few weeks, we will take this production up to Totem Pole Playhouse.  Having that production to look forward to did help take away a little of yesterday’s melancholy

Of course a new intern company will arrive shortly and the 48th season will begin in earnest with Man of LaMancha.

But as they prepare for that, I will keep packing getting ready for my own next chapter.

Cotton Patch – Closing

Much to do, so another quick one.

Last day for Cotton Patch Gospel at Wayside Theatre.  Also my last show at Wayside in 2009.

Haven’t had a chance to really soak that in, since I’m still packing and preparing to travel, but I’m sure it will hit me later.

Friday Dance Party 27 – Take a Hike

Friday Dance Party time. Hoo ya.

There’s only a little dancing on this video, but this is a song that can get you dancing.  Well, kind of.

But this song felt right for my last week in Northern Virginia.  With a giddy melancholy, I’m gonna take a hike.

Vimeo – “Take a Hike” Thunder Power

The band is Thunder Power from Omaha [MySpace], and the gleefully quirky video is directed by Lindsay Trapnell.

[thanks to IckMusic for the original tip]

Packing

WordPress was a little wonky this morning so I’m a bit late with my post.  But it’s another short one.

Today and tomorrow will be all about packing.  All the books are done.  Check.  I’m going through files right now and it is terribly fussy work weeding out the old stuff.  Hopefully once I plow through those it will go a little faster.

Famous.  Last. Words.

By the end of the day, I would like to have all of my audio stuff packed up.  A reasonable goal.

Changes

Wanted to tell you a few changes that are coming.  After we close Cotton Patch Gospel at Wayside Theatre on April 25, 2009, I will be leaving Northern Virginia.

I have been asked to do some shows up at Totem Pole Playhouse in Fayetteville, PA which will take me through the summer.

It’s going to be tough to leave.  I’ve been here working since 2003 and officially moved here in 2006.  This place became home pretty quickly, and the people became family.  But the changes coming are good and forward looking. I’m very excited to see what the rest of the year brings.

As for the blog, my posting may become a little less frequent once I leave Virginia.  I probably won’t post at all at the end of April through the middle of May.  I hope to get it back up and running, but I am going to be a bit more transient for awhile so I’m not sure if I’ll have easy internet access.

In the meantime though, I may try to post to Twitter every now and again.  I’ve added a Twitter widget to the side of the blog, and if you’re on it you can follow me at http://twitter.com/ldahlke

So, a few more days here and then a new view.  A bit scary, but mostly exciting.

A Final Hop

For the past several months I’ve been fiddling at The Civil Cricket once a week.  Today I’m doing my last day there.

Playing there has been a very special experience for me – more so than I expected.  It isn’t so much about the music.  I never play anything terribly exciting or complicated.  It’s about the people.

Maybe it’s the whole Piano Man thing.  People start talking to you.  Since I play quite a few Irish and Scottish tunes they like to talk about their travels.  They seem to go back there.

That shouldn’t surprise me.  Music has a unique way of transporting us to a different time and place.  Maybe because you can still enjoy it even when your eyes are closed.  And you can imagine.

I’ll miss it.  I hope to find another outlet like it in the future.

I’ve been all cagey about my future, but tomorrow I’ll write a bit about what’s coming up.

Cotton Patch – Last Sunday

We ended this week of Cotton Patch Gospel performances on a high note (pun only mildly intended).

The show closes this coming Saturday, so indeed yesterday was our last Sunday performance.  In my view it was our strongest overall show to date.

The energy of the show seemed higher, but still with a good, controlled acceleration to the finish.  It felt like we hit all the moments with the proper weight and integrity.

Musically, our tempos were up a bit and we did have a little danger of losing control of it, but we seemed to keep it very well together.  Our harmonies were the strongest they’ve been.

In addition, I have been playing a new mandolin – just got it this past week.  It is much easier to play than my previous mando and has opened up a whole new musical world that I didn’t know existed.

All of that made for a very good day yesterday.  We don’t take the stage again until Thursday, but I would love to be up there sooner.