Training

Patuxent River, MD

Hello Friends,

Lets conclude this little nostalgic tryptic with a recollection of my first training at the home office in Missoula.

Being trained as a Tour Actor/Director (TAD) is a terrifying prospect.

In advance you are given a script, a score, and a CD with the instructions to have your lines and songs down cold before you arrive. You walk into a massive theatre full of a home staff of around 50 people all smiling at you and welcoming you to a new job. You are a in a sea of unknowns and your schedule is jam packed to the gills from the moment you step in the building.

What happens over the next two weeks goes by in a blur of 14 hours days full of process sessions to learn the nuts and bolts of the MCT method followed by show sessions to learn every single aspect of the show. If your brain doesn't feel like mush about half way through the week then something is wrong.

Thankfully I did have lines memorized and being trained in the fall (something that actually doesn't happen anymore) my "class" of fellow new TAD's was only five. This meant we got to plow through our process sessions fairly quick and were able to spend more time on our shows. I was the odd man out of the group as the other four newbies were partnered together. My partner wouldn't arrive until we did our show for premier week (I'll get to that).

What I learned that first of two weeks laid the foundation for the teach that I am today. How to teach kids blocking and singing without a script in their hands. How to control large groups through humor and positive reinforcement. Simple tricks and tools to install acting technique in seconds. The list goes on and on. I loved it.

As the week concluded it was time to show off these new skills to the bosses. Since no kids were available to be "demo" kids (which we have in the summer) we had the joy to teach other veteran tour actors who arrive for premier week and their tours. This. Was. Terrifying. There is nothing more imposing then the prospect of teaching a fellow employee who has been doing a job much longer then you something that they have down pat perfectly.

The room was full of forty veteran tour actors. All good friends. All excited to see each other again. All just itching to see what these newbies could do. First the bosses get up and lay the rules down.

- Act like good kids, don't be funny and try to act like a bad kid.

- Don't give advice or say "The way I do it is..."

- Be supportive.

With the gauntlet thrown down they turned to the five of us and asked who would like to go first. Of course my hand shot up. I was prepared. I love to get things done with then dread about them. My session went well as I taught my peers to be cowboys and horses that loose their skin (no worries, that show is off the road). After ten minutes or so the bosses had seen enough. I received my notes on what to work on and was given a general "good job" from all of them. I even think I saw a few vets nodding in approval.

I don't mean to boast, but it was one of the few times in my life that I was really prepared and on my "A" game, just let me have this one.

Week one of training ended and the next week was time for Premier Week!!! This is when a handful of schools in Missoula actually host a tour team to put on a show at the school. The school gets a free play and MCT gets invaluable experience for their new hires in a controlled environment where home staff can help if needed. It is a brilliant system.

The week was even more stressful then training. It's one thing to talk about working with kids but nothing can ever prepare you for that first moment when 70 of them are all staring at you just waiting for you to tell them what to do.

Auditions were crazy. Cast a show in two hours!? But it the show was cast. Rehearsals flew by. How am I suppose to teach all this at just two hours at a time?! But the learned their parts. Dress rehearsal was awful - I even forgot words to songs! But the performances were stellar. The kids shined, the bosses nodded in approval, even I felt a pang of relief - it can be done!

Now all I had to do was pack up my truck and leave Missoula the next day so I could start my grand adventure - tour.

And now four and half years on the road later (with some breaks here on there) I can not think of any other way I would have wanted to spend my life. The road has been crazy to say the least. Full of many tour partners, tens of thousands of miles, gorgeous sights, crazy adventures, kind people, daring food, and many many sacrifices. But in the end its all worth just to hear one kid say "I did it!"

The Adventure STILL Continues - ML

Missoula

Patuxent River, MD
Hello Friends,

Lets pick up where I left off - my first time in Missoula.

After accepting the job I settled my affairs in Seattle. I arranged to leave my stuff in the condo that I was living in thanks to my friend Jason and quit the show I was in. I remember the director of that production, this spindly 25 year-old something who thought his vision for the play was amazing, telling me that I was making a huge mistake to run off on tour and that I would do much better if I stayed in Seattle (HA!). From there I headed out to Ohio for a bit of visiting and then back to Portland for one last hurrah and then I flew to Missoula from there. If I had only known how important a role the City of Portland would play later in my life. Funny how the world works.

Flying into Missoula International Airport for the first time is a special experience. It's hard to describe. If you ask Joe Q. Public what they know or even think of when you say "Montana" odds are they come up with "Buffalo" or "Snow" or most likely "Dances with Wolves". So when one goes to Montana you really have no idea what to expect. This was the case when I landed in one of the smallest planes I had flown.

Your aircraft parks at one of six gates and you walk less then thirty seconds and you are at baggage claim. During that thirty second trek you pass by at least five very impressive taxidermy pieces ranging from grizzly bears, to deer, and of course the coup de grace is the mountain lion killing a goat in its mouth. It's a bit awesome.

I arrived in Missoula three days before my training to meet up with my college room mate Pat who took a Greyhound down from Havre to hang out. As I was early, the company did have to pick me up (though in retrospect I am sure they would have had I asked, which I didn't because I didn't want to impose on this new company that hired me) so I figured I would just catch a cab to take me to my hotel.

With in minutes of collecting my bag the airport was deserted. I called a cab and they claimed they would be there in 15 minutes. They also claimed they could get me to the hotel for less then $20 cash as that was all I had in my wallet and they did not take cards. So gazing at the hills that surround me I began to worry that my dwindling cash supply would not see me through and until training began as I waited for the cab.

And waited.

And waited.

About 30 minutes after I called a fancy hotel van pulls up (my hotel was not that fancy) and asked if I had called about going to their hotel. Of course I hadn't and explained as much. The lady, who was about my age, looked around and not seeing anyone asked where I was going. When I told her I was going to another hotel and that I was here for Missoula Children's Theatre her face grinned and she offered me a ride into town for free. I couldn't believe it.

So I hopped into a strangers van and ventured forth towards downtown Missoula. Now mind you I wouldn't have hopped into just any van and my creeper bell wasn't tingling. As we drove in she told me all about Missoula. Where to go, what to see, how much I am going to love MCT. She herself was a student at the University and worked at the hotel as a part time gig. After a brief 10 minute drive I was at my hotel and her van vanished into traffic.

I never saw that girl again, but her kindness left an indelible impression.

Pat arrived later that day and we spent the next few days exploring Missoula, reminiscing about college, and making promises as to what we wanted to do with out lives. If I remember correctly we were both going to be Professors at the same college some day. Those few days passed all to quickly. Suddenly I was beginning my training at MCT and Pat was returning to Northern Montana. What began that first day of training would change my life forever.

The Adventure Continues - ML

How it all Began

Patuxent River, MD
Hello Friends,

So this is my last week as a tour actor/director before I move on to the home office and I have been doing a lot of reflecting. What a better way to do that then to re-tell my MCT story (no worries I will be making broad strokes with these entries). Let's start at the beginning...

It was the end of June 2003. I had just finished my nine month internship at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. I was desperatly seeking work that would allow me to still act and teach. I was in a production for the now defunct Seattle Fringe Festival playing a father to a disturbed son in the depression (Trestle at the Pope Lick Creek)to which I was recieving no pay and drove 20 miles one way for rehearsal. The world was scary and exciting and I had no idea what lay ahead.

At the end of that faithful June I attended a theatre open audition were you spend one minute and thirty seconds performing two monolouges in hopes that some theatre company sitting in the darkened audience may call you back at some point in the near future. When done, I thanked the faceless crowd and made a calm confident exit (a dance that had been engrained into me from my college years). Before I could reach the door a voice called out from the populated void, "Matt, can you sing?"

My reply came quick but not as confident as my attempted exit.

"Yes."

I was handed a half piece of paper for a place called The Missoula Children's Theatre asking to come back TODAY for an interview about some tour thing.

A callback?! Today!?!! Usually you wouldn't receive a callback for weeks, sometimes even months!

At this point I can't remember if I was even excited about the callback or not. I was a little leery of something called "tour" and during my time between I headed back to the Rep and printed of my teaching resume as it had not been with my acting resume. At the Rep I distinctly remember someone even telling me to stay away from the Missoula gig. They hadn't heard good things about it or had a friend of a friend who had done it and didn't like it. Still, a callback is a callback and I went back with resume in hand to see what this was all about.

Upon arrival I was greeted by the two Missoula Reps; Beth Martin and Victoria Larson. I handed them my teaching resume and took my spot with about 5 other callbackees. I don't really remember much of the schpeel, though I know what the schpeel is; it is a 45 minute talk about how awful the job is. Working with kids every week, crazy drives and partners, staying at weird homes, the list goes on and on. (To be fair, this is actually the best tool we have for recruitment as candidates are openly encouraged to politely leave the moment they know that the tour is not for them).

I don't know what I did or say or maybe it was the fact that I brought a theatre teaching resume to an acting callback, but after about 30 minutes of the schpeel Beth decides to pull me out of the pack and starts to have a one-on-one interview with me. She wants to know about how I grew up, what I like about acting and teaching, on and on we go. It felt like a good 30 minutes. By the time our talk was finished the other candidates had all gone. I felt thrilled about this opportunity but knew better then to get my hopes up. Polite farewells were made and the promises of being in contact were spoken.

On the 30 minute drive back I received a call from Victoria asking if they could hear me sing over the phone since I had failed to do so at the callback. As I was driving on the interstate I politely asked if I could at another time. A time was set for two days later.

During those two days I sang my heart out to everything I could find. Any musical CD, old voice lesson books, the TV - anything! It had not been specified as to what they wanted me to sing so I prepared song after song for their consideration.

The two days passed and the call came at the appointed time. The kitchen table was full of sheet music and songbooks ready for action. I was nervous! I had sang in church and few musicals in High School, but never for a professional gig! Brief pleasantries were delivered and then:

"Alright, lets hear you sing!"

"Well, what would you like?"

"How about 'Happy Birthday'?"

Staring at all those books and music I gave my best version of that tell-tale song all the while looking around for some gag show TV camera. It was the longest 15 seconds of my life.

"Great. We will be in touch."

That was it. Done. I felt a bit deflated.

A week past, then two. I tried not to think of it but as any actor will tell you until you hear no then, to you, it still feels like there could be a yes.

When the call came I of course wasn't expecting it. However the offer was timeless. Nine month contract, starting in September. I was given a week to think it over, I am pretty sure I called back later that day.

The Adventure Continues - ML

Cozy New Jersey

Deleware Township, NJ
Hello Friends!

Things are rainy and cold in the rural areas of New Jersey but thankfully old man winter has yet to be seen. This week Calida and I are staying in a quaint guest house in a very rural horse pasturey area. It is very picturesque and every night when we come home dinner has been left for us on our stove! It's like having a magical little food elf making us gormet dinner and then disappearing before we get (said elf also leaves a lot of wine and cheese as well!).

I am fighting a wee head cold and I haven't had much energy to get out and about. Thankfully Calida and I are both into really good George RR Martin books right now so we are passing the time well. Oh and there is on demand cable in our house too (yeah, that kind of guest house).

This weekend Calida's family is coming to see the show and then a holiday week off before Maryland in which one of us gets their wisdom teeth removed (I will give you a hint, its not me). if this post is a bit wonky my apologies as I am doing this all from smartphone for the first time.

The Adventure Continues - ML

USFS DC Blog Post

Albany, NY
Hello Friends!

Real quick, here is a link to a nice blog from the United States Forest Service about our workshops in DC. Yup, that's me in the background getting kids to use their "binoculars".

The Adventure Continues - ML

Artsy Kids!

Menands, NY
Hello Friends!

So children at Menands school have two options when Missoula comes to town. They can either audition for the show or be part of an after school art class about the show (or just not be part of it all). We really didn't think much of it until we started seeing posters and an amazing banner hanging in front of the school today. I really love it when schools use our visit to encourage cross curricular activities. Enjoy!









The Adventure Continues - ML