Cheep Cheep Blog 8 - Joseph Workman

Our Sunday matinee performance was solid, though both actors and audience had energy typical of a summer weekend afternoon. I was mindful that this was the last time Cheep, Cheep! would be running, admiring the work Ken Richardson and shop students had done on our fair booth, our smart & silly costumes designed by Sheri Long and Cory Warren, and all the work and time from Alex Ries and the actors in and outside rehearsals.  It's been great to be a part of this process. Not only did I appreciate the free mushroom bacon swiss cheeseburgers, courtesy of our freshmen actors' surplus dining hall money, but I enjoyed the company of my cast at our pre-show cafeteria feasts.  I had a blast playing tag, ninja, and some odd foot game.  Feet on feet.  Our cast was also kind enough to buy Alex and I chicken biscuits and sign cards, and Casey even brought in a live a chicken for us to... I don't know. I don't know what the expectation/intention was there.  There was a lot of secrecy about it.  I was taken to a room and shown a box.  I looked inside, at it - the chicken.  It was chill.

A. Ries and I had a couple of brief, knowing, and congratulatory handshakes at the end of the run.  I spent so much time with him on this project, working and discussing each step of the way, and he's already off to California as I write this - I probably won't see him for a long time.  He's been great to work with and I've been told appreciative things from the cast.  I was happy with how things turned out; most of the changes for the final draft were thanks to his input and our cooperative effort.  I was approached by several people who told me that the slow motion egging scene was their favorite part of the whole show.  I got to tell them that it wasn't in the script; rather, the whole effect was Ries's idea - I wasn't even present for the rehearsal when that idea came into fruition.  Anyway, he'll be missed and good luck to him.

Things end, and change quickly.  I am sad but also glad this production is over.  It's time to finish up the term and look forward to Midsummer Night's Dream as this summer's Bard in the Quad production.