No more Day 1, 2, 3, etc. from me on the blog now that I’m in Boulder. We’re going to take this one chunk at a time.
Left Saskatoon Monday at 1:50pm and drove all the way down to the border. I got pulled over in Regina for… nothing. Wasn’t speeding, and all my papers were in order. Apparently I was “crowding” the pedestrians who were crossing the busy road. They have cross walks in Regina that have no signs or lights, but you are just expected to stop for people who just walk out in front of your car. It doesn’t work that way in New York. In New York, if you are foolish enough to walk out into a busy street, you will probably get hit. So people don’t do it. Well, I DID stop for the family who were walking across the street, but got pulled over because… What was the word? “Crowding.” Also, the officer thought I was looking at directions while I was driving. Yes. I was also sitting on a cushioned seat while I was driving which could lend itself to napping. There are many things going on while driving. No ticket for me, though. Didn’t do anything.
Got through the border into North Dakota. When I entered the border back in July, I told the guy I was an actor (he asked what I did) and I actually had to do some character voices for him. That was a bit unnecessary. This time they casually looked through my stuff, and I asked them what it was they were looking for. I’ve always been curious about that, and since I seemed to have a nice rapport with the woman there, I asked her,
“What is it that you are looking for?”
“Oh, we’re just looking. We look if there is a car from out-of-state.”
“So there’s nothing specific you’re looking for?”
She had no real answer to that, which means either:
A. They are not really looking for anything
Or…. No, that’s probably the only option for this quiz. Let’s go with A. But if they were looking for something specific, like a poster for “The Last Straight Man In Theatre,” I could assist with finding it.
Drove through North Dakota and stayed at the four eyes Motel, which is named that way because Teddy Roosevelt wore glasses and I was near Teddy Roosevelt National Park. All the hotels were booked up, but the one I showed up had a reservation cancel. Stayed in my room and watched the Joan Rivers roast on Comedy Central and thought, “People said MY show is offensive??” Not that I was offended by anything, but they get away with a lot.
Next day I drove into South Dakota, hitting another time zone change. I hit one the day before, and now another. Now I’m in Mountain Time. I have been driving through pockets of time zone changes. Stopped for breakfast at the Trapper’s Kettle Restaurant, which was recommended to me by the four eyes Motel woman. There were a lot of animals stuffed there, but the place I ended up at for dinner also had animals stuffed and put on the walls. If you are an animal in this part of the country, expect to be shot and put on a wall in a restaurant. Hope you like the atmosphere.
Drove, drove, drove, and hit Wyoming. Stopped at a hotel near Laramie. I’m familiar with Laramie because of “The Laramie Project” and Matthew Shepard. I decided I would not mention to anyone that I am in a biracial relationship or that I dress up as women in Fringe shows. They may think I am a bit funny, where in actuality I am VERY funny, according to the Winnipeg Free Press.
High-tailed it out of town and drove through Wyoming, where there is no one for miles. Entered Colorado and reached Boulder.
Wednesday was eventful. Showed up at the venue where the opening night preview show would be happening, so that I didn’t have to go searching around for it in the dark later that night. I saw Jimmy Hogg there, a very helpful chap. I know Jimmy from doing the Fringes over the years, and he has made the Boulder Fringe his own. He hosts the cabaret shows, as well the opening night show, and is doing a workshop in addition to doing his show. You go, Jimmy! I asked him how he flyers here. “Very pessimistically,” he answered.
Went to my billet’s house. That’s the home of the nice couple who are putting me up. It was a last minute thing. I thought I would have to stay at a hostel dorm, but the festival did finally find me a place to stay.
Checked in the Fringe main location and box office, which is a coffee shop. Signed an enormous waiver (a first for me at a Fringe), and got my artist pass, which I immediately lost. Now I have to pay for a new one if this thing doesn’t turn up. Had my tech rehearsal. My tech told me that she does not know how to operate the sound system. I don’t think that English is her first language, so it took a while to communicate everything. As far as the sound system goes, the Fringe should have made sure she knew how everything works. I have high hopes that she’ll come through for me tonight for my opening show at 10pm. (She did!! And she has been very supportive of the show.)
Pissed that I lost my artist pass and tired from all the driving, I almost went back to my billets’ house. Also, my tech was scheduled from 5-8pm and the opening night preview started at about 7:30pm. I went to the preview anyway, and saw that I could still perform after the intermission, which was happening when I arrived. This time I did an odd one-minute monologue as Claude, the eccentric millionaire, who lives alone in his seventy-two room mansion. I figured if people think this show is weird, then I am going to give in to the weirdness. People seemed to enjoy it, though, and there was much interest in the show when I talked to people afterwards. One woman said she had looked up my website and looked at my videos, since we were sharing a venue. That’s nice. I hadn’t even checked out who else was performing here.
Wednesday night was so busy for me that I forgot to eat. Has that ever happened to me before? I did find some bagels nearby and ate them. And then I found some pasta dish at my billets,’ and they said I could eat some of that stuff. So a bizarre nourishment occurred. There’s a good title for a Fringe show: “Bizarre Nourishment.” Start not buying tickets now!
I do plan to have a successful show tonight at 10pm. If it makes me sweat and I am still standing upright by the end of the show, I will consider it a success. Stay tuned for more fun in Boulder.
Kurt Fitzpatrick 