Shows # 39 & 40, 41 & 42 and the Saga of the Van Door

This will be cryptic, because I'm too excited about what just happened, but I want to catch up as much as possible before I spill.
Shows # 39 & 40 took place in Wilkesboro, NC - the floor was so slippery that most of us slid on stage for our entrances, slid off for our exits and I even face-planted mid-scene, as I was running around various set pieces and actors. Also, there was almost no air and we were very overheated. Also, it was discovered that Leah misplaced her mesh-bag containing socks and tarantula gloves and so she and I are currently sharing tarantula gloves.
I hope we find her her own pair soon.

So that was Wilkesboro.
Then we drove to Wilmington, where we performed in the most beautiful theatre - it's part of the North Carolina School for the Arts. The ceiling must be 80 ft up; there's enough fly-space to fit a few rockets up there. Also, the seats were a brilliant, vibrant green, giving me the impression that I had stepped into the Emerald City when I first walked in to the theatre. The crew was very helpful and the shows ran fairly well, given the unavoidable hiccups that always happen - mic issues, scene change minutiae getting missed, what have you - and after our two performances (#'s 41 and 42, respectively) we loaded out and lunched at the Mellow Mushroom. A good day.

Then, today, we drove to Chester, PA. Yes, you read correctly. From North Carolina to Pennsylvania. Eight hours, 4 states, 3 ten minute breaks and 1 lunch-hour after we stepped into the vans this morning, we pulled into the parking lot at the illustrious Days Inn of Chester, PA, where I was gloriously reunited with my laptop!!! It's in PRISTINE condition, completely re-outfitted with a new outside structure, new charge port and complete with all the memory it got sent to the Apple Centre with. It's a beautiful thing.

After a couple hours of blissfully tooling around on the internet, Ben and I opted to drive to a nearby Walmart to buy some breakfast and snack food for the marathon day that tomorrow promises to be. On the drive back, we discovered that the side door on the passenger van is no longer functional. At all. Even with bungee cords holding it shut ( and yes, I bungee-ed the door shut, after vaulting over the seats while we were briefly stopped at a red light. I felt very MacGyver-like). So, having just returned to the hotel for the last time this evening, Ben and I informed Emileena, the stage manager, who in turn informed the rest of the cast. We have removed the most important personal belongings and ordered taxis for tomorrow morning. I only hope we can get it fixed before we have to drive back to North Carolina (which we do on Saturday).
To follow: Photos from Myrtle Beach!