Yesterday we started South Pacific

Hawaii Opera Theatre's offices, rehearsal space, and shop are in a neighborhood called Kaka'ako. The area used to be filled with auto garages and other light industry--there is still an indoor firing range one block over. The district is rapidly gentrifying.

Although the digs are modest at HOT, the quality is consistently top notch.

South Pacific in the Pacific

At the end of June, rehearsals start for South Pacific at Hawaii Opera. I will pick up blogging again, because working at Hawaii Opera is a unique and lovely experience. Aloha!

Wherever you go, I wish you well...

We did our final performance at Mandan High School. Although not especially well attended it was great to see the enthusiastic audience reaction and gratifying to see some folks like Caroline S. who had been at the performance in Watford City.

With a name like Mandan, I naively expected it to be a more native crowd, but it wasn't.

We now scatter. Thanks to everyone who made this tour possible--FM Opera, the cast and crew, the North Dakota Council, the local presenters and housers. The tour has given me confidence in the viability of this new version of CORPS OF DISCOVERY.

Blogging will be more occasional for a bit, but check back from time to time.

Earth Lodge and Fort Mandan

Yesterday we went to see the Earth Lodge at the Knife River Indian Village and did a preview performance at the Fort Mandan replica near Washburn.

Seedy Neighborhood

North Dakota produces and consumes a lot of sunflower seeds. This convenience store display shows you their popularity!

Watford City

An exhilarating performance in Watford City to a large and enthusiastic crowd! The audience could not have been more receptive or appreciative. Watford City is a vibrant, hospitable little town with much civic pride in evidence.

Our sponsored said we even won over some skeptical cowboys and ranchers.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit

Watford City is near the north unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our casual hike became an exercise in team building as we saw our trail get muddier and muddier. Our little Corps was stopped by four buffalo which refused to leave the road or the trail.

Watford City

We are in Watford City. I hear the population here is under 2000. They are wonderfully excited about the production tonight at the High School. Watford City is in the heart of the Lewis and Clark area--in fact Lewis got shot in the butt by Cruzatte only a few miles north of here, so when that section of the show gets done tonight, they are sure to get a kick out of it.

Performance at ND Art Museum in Grand Forks

Performance in Grand Forks at the North Dakota Art Museum on the Campus of North Dakota State University. The set fit right in at the gallery. We had a chance to eat at a restaurant in East Grand Forks which was flooded in 1997.

The crowd was very quiet during the show--either refusing to or afraid to applaud. But they were very enthusiastic at the end. The acoustics of the gallery were wonderfully liquid.

The museum had a very modern exhibit--with Mapplethorpe, Hockney, Serrano in evidence.

Lake Effect

On our day off between performances, I had the chance to visit Cormorant Lake in Minnesota where one of our cast members, Janice Aiken, has a family home. Local residents flock to the lakes like Southerners flock to the beaches. Hopefully the midwestern sense of egalitarianism and fair play will allow shabby shacks and double wides to continue to exist alongside upscale vacation homes. This sense of economic diversity is gone from Florida's Gulf Coast.