That would be me. Just barely… My play opened last Friday and we’ve been working our butts off the last week getting it together. I’m exhausted!

It’s a funny play: Strawberries in January. A romantic comedy, very fast-paced, I LOVE my fellow castmates and my director (at this link, click the "Up Next" button). We’ve had packed houses for all three shows so far and the audience has laughed and laughed. Heck, we still laugh backstage! Very fun. It runs for two more weeks, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday matinee. Then we’ll bring it back in mid-April for a weekend at the Eugene O’Neil Centro Cultural in San Pedro. Ok, ok, that link takes you to a homemade belly dance video… but it shows you how big the Centro Cultural stage is. It’s HUGE. And it has real lights, a great sound system, acoustics and seating for 300 paying customers. Not that we will see a colone of that dinero… but the Little Theatre Group will. And it’s SO fun to act in front of a big house.

But just as lovely to be in the intimate Blanche Brown Theatre which is home to the Little Theatre Group. This photo shows Caroline, President of the LTG, and the theatre. That’s it: 98 seats and the smallest stage I’ve worked to date. Yeah, we’re talking close!

And why is it called the Blanche Brown Theatre? Because it’s in Blanche Brown’s house. Actually, her garage. This is Blanche standing in the refreshment area outside the theatre.

Remember let’s go find a barn and put on a show? Well, that’s basically little theatre all over the world. In Key West, a storage shed behind the Key West Woman’s Club was transformed into the Red Barn Theatre. In Costa Rica, it’s Blanche’s garage. Whatever: it’s gotta stage, it’s gotta audience, it works for me!

So that’s where I’ve been. Plus I did a bit of real estate work that drained my last little bit of energy for sitting in front of the keyboard. Honestly, I’m so glad I’m not doing that full-time right now!!! Thank you, Jesus. Or whomever.

It’s Oscar night and even though I haven’t seen 90% of the movies nominated, I’m all hopped up about the Big Show. I’m leaving the keyboard, heading to the tube, then off to bed for SLEEP. Ooh, a delicious night! All is well. Still alive and grateful to be so. Pura vida, Saratica