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Yesterday afternoon was our company picnic at Durand Eastman Park, in a large rustic picnic shelter with family style wooden picnic tables and benches overlooking the sandy beach and blue waters of Lake Ontario, with a large adjacent expanse of soft grass and shady trees for running children and the playing of lawn games. Can I just say that all Monday afternoons should be so lovely!? I could get used to it. Really, I could adapt.

About 50 folks from our staff at the theatre, along with their families and our current visiting playwright (two-time Tony Award Winner for Urinetown, Greg Kotis – our other visiting playwrights for the year include Karen Zacarias, Eric Coble, Mat Smart, John Cariani, and Deborah Zoe Laufer) made it out to the beach for delicious grilled burgers, brats, baked beans, macaroni salad, potato salad, unbelievably fantastic cream puffs, and a myriad of veggies, chips, and dips. We ate, we talked shop, we talked life, we drank beer, and we played lawn games (specifically wiffle ball and the epic frisbee game Kan Jam), and then we took a few blindfolded whacks at a pinata before feasting on its contents – pure sugary Pixy Stix goodness! Ted and I finished the night off with a relaxing sunset stroll along the beach.

Thanks be to Geva Theatre Center for an awesome company picnic!

And today we all came together for a company meeting, official company photos, and a Meet n’ Greet with the board, staff, cast, crew, designers, playwrights, and cohort club members for our first two productions of our 41st season – Pump Boys and Dinettes (the 30th anniversary production) and All Your Questions Answered (a world premiere by Greg Kotis). After a round of introductions we checked out the costume designs (I desperately want all the cute dresses and aprons! I am beyond thrilled that this gives me full license to break out my cowboy boots for the next two months!), the scenic design (love the neon signs and all the awesome hubcap and bunting touches that will be added to the gas station and diner!), and talked about the incredible music in this production, and the pie that will be available onstage and served out of the diner window for our patrons during pre-show and intermission. Most. Brilliant. Idea. Ever. THIS is how you please theatregoers! I can’t wait for this production to hit the fair citizens of Rochester…and to gather a group of my friends for a ‘boots and pie required’ night at the theatre!

In addition to an extraordinary amount of talent, teamwork, passion, and creativity in one building, there were also an extraordinary number of people in the rehearsal hall (it normally feels pretty spacious in there but today we were packed in like sardines!), and an extraordinary amount of croissants, chocolate croissants, scones, and danishes in attendance. Whew!  We theatre folk love some us some sweets!

Annnd a website full of our pro photos from the Summer Academy showcase came in for us to review and enjoy! Check them out here! Clearly, my work life has been awful lately. I just love the start of a fresh new season and the scent of excellent theatre!

(These fireworks have nothing to do with anything above, but were from the baseball game on Saturday night and I liked ’em. Just wanted to share.)