St. Kitts ~ History

St. Kitts
Hello Friends,

The show is done. The set is packed (thought not yet properly weighed). The crowd was amazed and the kids succeed beyond wildest expectations (of course was there ever any doubt).

Today was a day that I am not sure will ever happen again in my career as a Tour Actor Director. Today I made MCT history (with Shawna of course). From time to time you will perform in a town that is having an MCT week for the first time and thats rad. However it is very rare that you perform in a 1st time town in a foreign country. Also it is EXTREMELY rare that you perform for the first time for an entire region of the world. Such was the case today.

MCT has had performances in the Caribbean Sea back in the day when they did residencies on Cruise Ships but today was the first time MCT has had a residency week on a Caribbean Island Nation. It was humbling to be part of such an amazing experience.

There are lots of pictures and stories to share but I am dead on my fingers and a hair away from passing out. Just know that the show was attended total by almost 600 folks between the two shows, the response was amazing, the kids were phenomenal, and I will be close to tears for many reasons when we fly away tomorrow. Thankfully we have one last morning assembly with the kids tomorrow before we fly out to say goodbye and congratulate them. Yup I can already feel the weeping acomin'.

See you in Miami tomorrow night!

The Adventure Continues - ML

St. Kitts ~ Zip-line

St. Kitts
Hello Friends,

Today we had a real treat. Pretty much the only thing not on our inteneria this week was something Shawna discovered while researching fun things to do on the island and that was a zip-line tour of a tropical rain forest. We told our wonderful contact Jane we would like to experience this and she turned around and made it a treat for the entire 7-8th grade students (7 kids total).

We all left (kids, us, and some school chaperons - 13 total) left shortly after rehearsal today (which went great!) and drove the 10 minutes to get there. We signed our life away with many waivers, were weighed, and harnessed up. You wear a modified hand-gliding harness that connects to a trolley that supposedly can hold 6,000 lbs. After a short test line where we learned flying pose and braking pose (also called the birthing position to which our guides would remind us of this by yelling "Head down! Knees up!") we were off to start our tour!

There were four lines in all and it was INCREDIBLE! I felt very secure in the harness and the amazing thing was when you left the platform you felt only about 20 ft off the ground. Then you hit a clearing going 30 mph and suddenly you were 250 above a rain forest looking at the Caribbean Sea. It was breathtaking! Coming to a stop was surprisingly simple as you hit a long series of springs that deaden your speed really well. Thats a pciture of me coming to a stop on the line by the way.

The experience was truly unique and we did capture video of Shawna and I descending the Zip which I hope to share some day. Tonight we ate at a new restaurant in town called Sweet Cane (I think). Had delicious garlic shrimp and some island rum. Tomorrow is the big show and it sounds we may even have two sold out shows! It's going to be the great ending to an already amazing week!

The Adventure Continues - ML

St. Kitts ~ Exhaustion

St. Kitts
Hello Friends,

Another whirlwind of a day all in the good! Today was day three of rehearsals and as par for the course we had lite breakfast pastries, morning assembly, real breakfast, workshop, first rehearsal, lunch (gyros!), 2nd rehearsal, another workshop, I hit the gym on campus, and then dinner in down town Basseterre (Capital of the country) at Pride of India. I am not one for going out to find Indian food and it was delicious thanks in part to being there with lots of people who ordered many different things and we all shared. I look forward to my next visit and hope the curry doens't haunt around 3AM...

It is going great and I am thankfully for the nine hours of sleep every night because we are on the go from the first light on and the sweltering temperatures don not help the energy level. Again no pictures today but trust me there will be some great ones from ziplining through the tropics tomorrow.

Oh and I found out I will be performing for the diplomats and their families from Taiwan and Brazil to St. Kitts for our show on Thursday. I for one think that is pretty rad.

The Adventure Continues - ML

St. Kitts ~ Rehearsal

St. Kitts
Hello Friends,

Had a nice day of MCT work today. Started off with the morning assembly where all the students gather and start the day with announcements and birthday celebrations. From there we did something we normally never do on tour and that was work with pre-k students. Since they were the only age group not eligible to do any workshops or shows with us these week we still wanted them to feel included so Shawna and I created a modified workshop for the littles and had a good time with them.

From there it was two great rehearsals followed by dinner. Today was a day of eating though. Our wonderful contact Jane makes sure we do not go hungry on this island adventure. Pre-breakfast was almond puff pastry and coffee. Breakfast was a broiled cheese egg Mexican dish. Lunch a peanut tofu stir fry. Post rehearsal snack a slice of cheesecake. And Dinner a wonderful meal at Ciao one if not the only Italian restaurants on the island. I had the Gorgonzola gnocchi and am about to succumb to the food coma shortly.

No pictures today. It was all work work, but I think we will have some good ones soon from the tropical rainforest zipline tour on Wednesday!.

The Adventure Continues - ML

St. Kitts ~ Sights

St. Kitts
Hello Friends,


My shoulders are slightly seared and the day has come to a close. Today we saw many great sights all around the isalnd of St. Kitts. While yesterday was dedicated to the sister island of Nevis, today we stuck around the main one.

Our first order of business was snorkeling. We went back to the same beach where we had our first dinner with the fire man and joined some other folks from Ross U. We snorkeled about half a mile to a little cove and back. The whole trip took about an hour and a half and was incredible. First the sea was calm and the visibility was perfect. Second their was no one else out. And third, the wild life did not disappoint!

During our trek we saw not one but four sea turtles (though I have a suspicion one may have been a repeat) a ray, squids, a puffer fish, pipe fish, minnows (a whole school we swam through!) jellies, and lots of very colorful "pet store" fish one of our fellow swimmer commented! We do not have any pictures from underwater yet the gorgeous beach view is where we embarked from (Timothy Beach).

Breakfast was at a beach cafe right there on the shore and then a quick rinse and off for a car tour. We first stopped at a sight called "bottle tree" which is this wicked old tree with bottles tied to it. We did not stay too long as a local started heckling us pretty good. From there we went to one of the most famous spots on the island Brimstone Hill Fortress. The sights were AMAZING! You could see for miles and could easily understand why the British made such a grand fort on the hill. It was also void of fellow tourists so Shawna and I had the run of the place. It was really neat.

Next we stopped for an afternoon "beverage" at a plantation resort. Those are some nice NICE places. Finally we wrapped up the day with a light dinner with some teachers from the Prep School we are working with. Everyone has been so generous and wonderful!

Tomorrow we get to payback our wonderful hospitality by putting the show on its feet. This should be a fairly easy task as every cast member is thrilled to the gills for their performance. We have seen great sights and incredible things these past two days and I feel the best part of the trip is yet to come! Really looking forward to show day!

The Adventure Continues - ML

St. Kitts ~ Nevis

St. Kitts
Hello Friends,



Wow, what a wonderful day! Today our AMAZING tour guides Jane, Carol, Tammi, and Eddie took us to the neighboring island that makes up the second part of this nation, the Island Nevis (one last time, pornounced Knee-vis). It is much smaller both population and size and really has a feeling of its own.

We left teh University around 8AM and made it to the ferry at around 8:45. There is only one car ferry for the islands while there are about two passenger only ferrys. We where sure to arrie early as we wanted to catch the first ferry across. When you arrive at the "terminal" or "metal fence" you must park backwards so you can back on the ferry. I found this very interesting. The ferry was schedule to arrive from Nevis at nine. However Shawna and I got a lesson in "island time" and the ferry arrived at 9:45. We backed aboard and were off. During our twenty minute trek to Nevis we saw a nice huge sea turtle swim by. It was huge! It was really exciting!

After docking we drove about another twenty minutes to Hermitage for breakfast. Hermitage is the oldest wooden structures on the island, almost the entire Caribbean. It use to be a sugar plantation, but now it is a glorious B&B. Most of our party enjoyed the coconut crusted French toast and loved it (by the way, loved it is and understatement) I thoroughly enjoyed my eggs with black beans.

From there we continued our tour around the island and stopped off at a local pottery house, a hotel for drinks on Nevis Mountain, and even a short swim on of the beaches. the water is wonderful. around 80 degrees, comfortable and glorious. I can understand why people vacation here.

We had a nice ferry trip back and enjoyed a light meal at a beach bar not far from the ferry terminal on St. Kitts. The day was amazing and no amount of words can give it justice. I am getting lots of sun and am very glad that I can get a good nights rest before the new adventure that lies ahead. Tomorrow we spend the morning snorkeling and then an island tour of St. Kitts! Till then friends!

The Adventure Continues - ML

St. Kitts ~ Reclette

St. Kitts
Hello Friends,

My apologizes for the late post but we just returned from the most amazing dinner ever! First lets start at the top of the day.





Shawna and I arrived at the school at 7:30 and all of the students and teachers were thrilled we were there to start our residency week. After a small breakfast of homemade pecan rolls, eggs and toast, we held auditions for the 48 kids in our cast. They did a great job and considering it was their first experience with MCT it went really well. They were all thrilled with their parts and couldn't wait for rehearsal to begin. Lunch was a nice bowl of tortilla soup followed up by 15 minutes of sustained silent reading time and then first rehearsal. Afterward Shawna hit the beach walk and found amazing shells while I the campus gym. Yeah a campus... let me talk about that.

Se we are on campus at the Ross University of Veterinary Medicine. They have around 900 students who are getting their degrees in vet science and the prep school is for the children of staff, professors, even students of the university. Its a wonderful school with great staff and I am sure we will have more pictures from them soon.

So tonight we had the best piano player meeting ever! Usually with MCT you meet you piano player at auditions and then again on Wednesday for their first rehearsal. Briefly go over tempos and we are set. Not here in St. Kitts.

Our wonderful contact Jane had ourselves and the musicians (yes we have guitar players this week, another high light) and their significant others over for a very nice dinner part and then we went through all the music with bellies fully of AMAZING food, dessert and drink. It was much like a mini concert and it was a blast. But what made the food so good?

On our agendas we saw that we would be having "Raclette" for dinner. I nor Shawna knew what this was and no one would tell us. We could have looked it up but we didn't and were glad not to because the surprise was worth it.

OK follow me on this-

At the table (outside on a gorgeous covered patio overlooking the Caribbean see - the picture with the cruise ship is the view from our dining table) was a table with tons of finely cut veggies, cashews, oils, and a small skillet that you could cook about two eggs in near your plate (look at the pictures). By the way this is a Swedish dish. You put in a little oil then any and all fixings you wanted and then stirred it for about ten minutes. Then you put on thick slabs of a very aromatic cheese (I can't recall the name) and let it ooze over you fixings'. Then you add a little Grand Marnie and light if on fire. Then you pour the gooey content atop of rice, stir, and eat. I have never had anything like before and I hope to experience it again. Oh but dessert....

There were about four decedent options, but my choice was clear. An almond sponge caked with homemade rum sauce. Now I am not a sweet person at all but I could have eaten that till I died. As one person said before eating "This sauce is so good I have to ask for forgiveness before because eating it is a sin." It was amazing!!!

Tomorrow is breakfast on a plantation on the neighboring island of Nevis (pronounced Knee-vis) followed by a tour and possibly some snorkeling. Till then!

The Adventure Continues - ML

St. Kitts ~ Arrival

St. Kitts
Hello Friends,



Greetings from the 5th smallest country in the world. A land with no stop lights and lots of round abouts. A place where storms come and go as they please. Yes friends, I write to you from the wonderful island of ST. KITTS!

After two months of talking, it is finally here. We made our flight out of Miami with no problems (though going through the international TSA security line was a bit bedlam - I got full body scanned - NEAT!). Our flight to the island wasn't even a quarter full and Shawna and I got a whole row of seats to ourselves. The flight was quick and smooth and we arrived ahead of schedule. We made it through customs with no problems and since the school had sent our inventory in advance they were ready for us and we had no hassles at all getting our massive sets and stuff through. AND all of our luggage arrived!

The school is wonderful and as we unpacked our items the kids were thrilled to see us, can't wait for the auditions tomorrow. Our rooms are nice, they are like mini apartments and we have wireless!

We just returned from a fine meal at a beach bar named the Shiggidy Shack. I had garlic lemon shrimp and they were wonderful! The main event was the fire dancer who strut his stuff all around the establishment. It was quite a scene.

Our contacts at the school are wonderful and we can not wait to have more adventures with them! Check back daily as more will come!

The Adventure Continues - ML

MissoulaDenverChicagoMiami

Miami, FL
Hello Friends,

Our journey to St. Kitts has begun. After spending two days in Missoula prepping for our journey we began our two day flying trek today. We had the joy of visiting four airports today (see title) and easily made all of our connections without any need to rush. We checked 10 bags (which included our two personal) to St. Kitts and the total came to $1600.00! Tomorrow our flight leaves at 11AM so it is time doze off. Next time we meet, it will be on the Kitts (I don't know if they say that term on the island, but I may start it...)

The Adventure Continues - ML

Goldbug Hot-springs

Missoula, MT
Hello Friends,

One last Salmon story. On Sunday before we headed back to Missoula a gaggle of us made a trek into the Idaho hills to a secluded spot called Goldbug Hot-springs. It's a good hour long trek up some intense switchbacks and a long slow elevation gain. It was amazing trip and the hot springs were wonderful. As you sit and soak you overlook a gorgeous valley and see lots of wild life abound (including the rare and gentle mountain hippie). It is a hike full of great sights and if you ever near Salmon, ask a local to take you up. Just know, suits are optional!*





The Adventure Continues - ML
*We kept our suits on

This is Why I Tour

Missoula, MT
Hello Friends-

Our time in Salmon has come to an end. It was an incredible week full of wonderful people and amazing scenery (Those are pictures of Shawna and I in front of iconic Salmon landmarks). Shawna and I had a wonderful cast member named Jed. He was a high schooler who required sign language to perform on stage. It was amazing.

We were fortunate enough to get pictures with Jed, but I do not want to post them with his family consent. Faulkner family, if by chance you are reading this and you are alright with me posting them on this blog, please contact me at mattloehrke@gmail.com

What follows are two emails. The first from me in response to the email, the second the actual email itself. A tad complicated, but it will make sense when you read'em. We don't get emails like this just any day.

Salmon, ID was an amazing week but this email does not give enough credit to Shawna at all. Shawna was the TAD who went to Jed's class and spent time learning show specific sign language and teaching him how to use it onstage (IE run, sit, howl, dance). She then showed me the sign language and together we implemented it into our show. It was a very rewarding experience that would not have happened had it not been for her initiative. It was Shawna's dedication to his success that allowed Jed to succeed during our performances. I am very lucky to have a partner who considers taking the extra step for the kids a privilege and not a hassle.

~~~~~~~~~~

My family and I went to the recent performance of Beauty Lou and the Country Beast performed in Salmon Idaho. I was taken by your amazing cast and their abilities. In particular I was struck with the compassion I witnessed during the finale.

The young man, that played Buckaroo Bob, Matt Loehrke was remarkable throughout the performance. They had cast a disabled boy as the “dog”. His name is Jed. Jed required sign language intermittently throughout the play. Matt was attentive to this young man’s needs as he performed and used sign language as needed.

For me, the very best part of the whole performance was when, during the finale the “dog”, Jed, had realized that his shoe was untied. Jed became more and more concerned about his shoe. During Matt’s singing the young man pointed to his shoe to show Matt what was wrong. As Matt was singing he could see that this young man had some sort of need, but he managed to keep singing his part without missing a beat until it was turned over to the whole cast for their part. It was then that Matt quickly bent over and tied this young man’s shoe. It was by far the pinnacle of the performance for me. All the parents were engrossed in their children singing their hearts out while Matt managed to take time to tie a shoe mid the finale.

Please somehow tell Matt how this touched me and typified why the Missoula Children’s Theater has such a wonderful reputation. Matt was remarkable with all the children and my son enjoyed meeting Shawna Jean-Marie Smith in their workshops with the schools.

I also perform music, but I am sure that I would not have the ability to carry on a finale and tie a young person’s shoe!

Thank you for all you do. It is delightful to see your program flourish. I have been in your audience now for over 25 years.

Please give my regards and thanks to Matt and Shawna.


The Adventure Continues - ML

Double Daring Dining!

Salmon, ID
Hello Friends,

Things are going very well one this the first week of fall tour 2010. Salmon is a gorgeous small town tucked in the Bitterroot valley (I think) and the hospitality has been wonderful. More on that another time, lets get to our main course (pun intended) a double helping of Daring Dining!

The Coffee Cup Cafe - Hamilton, MT
On Sunday Shawna and I enjoyed our first of many drives. The trip to Salmon was brief and we stopped off in Hamilton for a late lunch. Being Sunday not much was open and main street was fairly quite. Thankfully before we left town we came across The Coffee Cup Cafe. From the exterior it looked very much like a general store and for being close to 2PM it was still quite crowded (always a good sign). The inside had counter service and tables. The walls were lined with hanging metal and woven signs from yesteryear ranging from Disney to pictures you would find in old Saturday Evening Posts. The effect was comforting and a bit creepy at the same time.

The menu offered items for all meals of the day and ran the gambit of typical diner food. We were both craving lunch so I got a Wrangler sandwich and Shawna a Montana Burger. My sandwich was a glorified sub that was grilled. It was OK. I was told it came on a French roll but is was really a white hoagie roll (picky I know). Shawna enjoyed her burger it had lots of stuff on it, the specifics I can't remember. The thing that caught our attention the most were the home made, hand cut French fries. We saw them on other tables and they looked wonderful, ours however were undercooked and soggy.

While lunch failed to please, their breakfast menu looked wonderful and we had a sneaky feeling we ordered from the wrong meal. So final verdict on the CCC, stick with breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day for a reason.

The Junkyard Bistro - Salmon, ID
One of the first questions we ask locals when we get to a new town is "Where is a great unique place to eat in town?" Every resident of Salmon we have asked does not hesitate and says "The Junkyard Bistro." With it's reputation well established Shawna and I knew we had to try it.

Located on the main street of Salmon, The Junkyard Bistro doesn't look like much from the outside, in fact it could easily be mistaken for one of the many bars in town. However if you get close to the open front door the over whelming smells of deliciousness will grab your attention. The Bistro is very small with a few tables and a bar. The main kitchen is smack dab in the middle causing a constant state of mouth watering through out. The walls are lined with metal sculptures made of found objects and are for purchase. Many of them are animals from exotic sea creatures to western flair. We were lucky to grab a table and were greeted with a small yet diverse menu ranging from sandwiches, pastas, wraps, salads, and rice bowls. Shawna opted for a Gyro and I a vegetarian artichoke sandwich (shocking I know). Shawna's gyro was excellent, she enjoyed. My sandwich however... was quite possible the best sandwich I have ever had.

It starts with a hard French roll (not white hoagie) followed was marinated artichokes, provolon cheese, roasted red peppers, and then a olive mix spread on top. The whole thing is given a healthy splash of their homemade balsamic vinigar and olive oil dressing that soaks into the roll nicely. It was amazing. We each had their pasta salad as a side which was simple and clean and off-set our meals nicely.

The price was perfect and service fast and friendly. I myself am even now a fan of their Facebook page now. So where is the best place to eat in Salmon? I may not be a native but I agree with them 100% - The Junkyard Bistro.

The Adventure Continues - ML

Off to Salmon

Missoula, MT
Hello Friends,

Well vacation is done and it's time to hit the road. Thankfully our fall tour does not have long drive. In fact I think the longest one may be six hours! Today we head off to the quaint town of Salmon, ID. Believe it or not, I have been touring for four hours and have never had an MCT residency in Idaho. So it will be nice to cross it off the list.

Enjoyed some great down time this weekend with friends new and old here in Missoula. Sadly the Griz lost and that is never a good thing around here. But the Buckeyes did win, so all is not lost in the world of collegiate football. Weather looks great for our drive today and we already have heard of some of the wonderful hospitality such as meals and home stays that awaits us. Can't wait to get the fall started.

The Adventure Continues - ML

BTW - Looks like I will have no cell service this week.

Preparation

Missoula, MT
Hello Friends,

Today was day one of fall tour and it was spent running errands and shows as Shawna and I begin our fall adventure. I get to take a newer version of the Beauty Lou set out this tour and while that may not seem like a lot I think it is pretty cool. We are going from a drab black backdrop to a very colorful one full of mountains and cacti. AND most importantly - NO MORE BARN OF DEATH! Our last set had a PVC monster barn we would make that fell over often. It was not fun. Thankfully we now have a set that opens like a book with a barn in front that opens to the Beast's mine.

Things are really kicking up for St. Kitts. We just got our "itinerary" that has listed when we work with kids but mainly lists all the fun activities lined up for us such as snorkeling, walking to a volcano, going to Nevus (the other island of St. Kitts) and eating at amazing restaurants. This week is looking up and up!

Things are also looking good for our first week in Salmon, ID. Really looking forward to getting back on the road and getting my performance voice back. It really goes away quick when you aren't singing and talking for about five hours a day non-stop. Thankfully it does come back quickly.

All for now. Hope Labor Day fun was had by all!
The Adventure Continues - ML

Family Fun on the East Coast

Pigeon, MI
Hello Friends!

Tomorrow I fly back to Missoula to start fall tour. I was fortunate enough to spend the past week back east traveling around Michigan and Ohio and seeing all of my family. MCT doesn't have a lot of residencies in this neck of the woods (yet) so I really only get to see my family once maybe even twice a year and it really charges the batteries to keep going out and doing the good work. Pictured are me with my adorable nieces.

To my wonderful family - thank you for all of your generosity and hospitality. Every week I am away I am able to do so successfully because I know each and everyone of you support me 100%.

The Adventure Continues - ML

Summer Tour by the Numbers

Pigeon, MI

Hello All-
Greetings from the thumb of Michigan as I am spending a little downtime from tour with family. Summer tour wrapped up well and I thought you would enjoy a little "by the numbers" run down of how things went for us June - August.

9,700 - Appx. miles driven
1,250 - Appx. number of songs on the iPod (though we only listend to about 300 of them...)
330 - Number of kids in the cast
95/100 - Average temperature/percent humidty of tour
75 - Average size of our audience every show
40 - Truck License plate number and name of our truck
22 - States driven through
14 - Workshops conducted
11 - Performances of "Beauty Lou"
10 - Average amount of shirts sold a week (that's an awful average by the way)
6 - States we had residencies in
6 - Other MCT teams we meet up with on the road
6 - Types of fast food chicken fingers Mandi tried
5 - Pairs of sunglasses Mandi possesed
4 - Average cast members who dropped every week
3 - Massive thunderstorms
2 - Barnyard Critter costumes that disappeared
1 - Groomsman speech given
0 - Fun things to do in Columbia, SC

All in all a good summer. It was though to not be with families (all hotels) but we made the best of it. Next up the Pacific NW and St. Kitts! Lets just hope no hurricanes come to call while we are there...

The Adventure Continues - ML

Also I am playing with the layout of the blog, so it may look a little off the next few days.