Grateful

Every night, as we were waiting for the places call back stage, I turned to Olivia and said one word:

Grateful

And I meant it. Grateful for the space, for the audience, for such a wonderful scene partner and cast, for health, for just being there about to share this story with people. Grateful. So grateful in so many ways to so many people who made it possible. This list is incomplete. It must be of necessity. I am sure I will forget some things. But I wanted to express my gratitude to some folks publicly here.

First, I have to give a huge thank you to all our supporters on Kickstarter. Without your help, and especially those of you who gave a bit extra. Our Stringers, Editors, and Publishers, without you we would have been in a pretty big hole on this one. I love theatre, and I don't mind the fact that I'm probably going to contribute as much financially to this show as most. But your help really makes this possible. And I'm very grateful to you.

Now, on to the personal thanks. I have thanked some of these folks already in a separate post, but it bears repeating.

Michelle and Josh at Sonorous Road. Thank you so much for being amazing hosts to our little show. Incredibly supportive and helpful at every turn, I hope the space continues. Raleigh needs it and it couldn't have better stewards. They even shot and edited our kickstarter video!

Kevin Ferguson and Cardinal Gibbons High School. Wow. For three years you have made the single biggest contribution to our bottom line. Rehearsal space. if we had to pay even $10 an hour (a fairly nominal sum) for rehearsal... our budget would have had a huge hole in it. Your unwaivering support for our little productions have really made them come to life.

Thanks to the other companies in the theatre community that helped make this show happen. To Cary Players for letting us use their flats and warehouse space, to Theatre in the Park for letting us borrow props and furniture. And thanks to NCSU for letting us borrow the baby bump!

Thanks to some special people. Jeff Nugent for painting the platforms so I could sleep and doing so much behind the scenes. Thank you. Thank you to Elaine for your amazing help with load in. We would have been in very bad shape without you.  Ami Kirk Jones for helping us get the great "distressed concrete" look for the walls, we would have been on a very grey set without you. Jason Bailey, thank you for helping with the photography and graphic design. We needed you a couple of times on short notice and you came through. Thanks. Mario Griego, thank you for your work on makeup. It can't have been easy disfiguring your daughter like that every night.

Thanks to our designers. Nora Kelly on props. WOW. You put in so much work to get the props just right. I really appreciate it. We were so lucky to have you help us. Will Mikes, thanks again my friend for helping with sound. It's always great to work with you. And Todd... well what can I say. The hardest working man in local theatre. Todd has helped us put together every show we've ever done, and we'd be lost without him.

Thanks to two amazing people who were our running crew. Alyssa our ASM - this show could not have happened without you. Someone who knew what she was doing each night because she made a check list and rehearsed each scene change. And not just the scene changes, but the work that happens before and after the show. Especially the making of coffee. Always making coffee. And Betsy - thank you so much for taking this on. For being there night after night. For putting up with our craziness. I'm so glad I met you on Deathtrap, and I'm so glad you agreed to work with us on this show.

Thanks to our director Andy. You have been a good friend for a long time, and I'm so glad to be working with you as a director again. You got a lot of praise for this show in the reviews, and let me tell you, it was well deserved. Your eye and your ear and your passion for this story and this journey made it ring true. I'm so grateful for all the work you put into this.

Katie - thank you for being a wonderful actor. Always present, always willing to throw yourself into the moment. And thank you for being such a strong supporter of this show from the start. I knew I wanted you for this part because you... well you were perfect for it, you're a great performer, AND you are a great person and fun to be around. And when you're building the cast of a 4 person show that's important.

Olivia, thank you for ... well for everything. For being a good friend, an incredible scene partner, and sometimes a reality check. For reminding me what I can and cannot control, and for when it's time to "turn off the producer brain" and just be present. Thank you for insisting on that presence. And for your trust, and for building a bond of trust with me that allowed me to give a more honest performance.

And John ... we did it again! Not as financially successful, but I am so, so, SO proud of this show. I loved it every night. Thank you for working with me. Who knows, maybe next January it will be show #5.

Until next time. I am. Grateful.