October Comes to a Close...

And what an October it has been. This whirlwind of a month has flown by with shows, trips, dinner parties, and family reunions! "Thriller" was such a success and the wonderful journey attached to the month of running around like a zombie always has new twists and turns. I have been on the tour cast of "Thriller" for the past two years, but we started of our season at a new venue this year. The Egyptian Theatre on Main Street in Park City was the first to see our Halloween show. The historic town was such a fun place to perform and the tiny 200-seat theatre gave us new challenges.



During breaks we had the opportunity to explore the cute café lined streets and quaint shops, and after shows we found haven at the local Irish Pub.


Park City is where I had my first chance to perform the role of Mrs. Frankenstein with my wonderful partner Matt. What a great time!

We were put up in beautiful condos that were a skiers dream. I just pictured tree-lined slopes, covered in snow, and walking a few blocks to the lifts. (We were just a couple months early.) The free perks kept on coming with a free dinner for the cast at the local Blue Iguana restaurant. Delicious Mexican Food for all! It was quite the experience, and felt less like work and more like a vacation!

After Park City we had a little break before our shows started in Provo. I took advantage of the time by testing out my cooking skills and holding “a Witchy Rendezvous” at my apartment. The tour black witches cast came over to my place with apple-baked Brie, caramel apples, and a delicious salad in hand to toast to our fabulous friendships. I experimented with vegetarian chili, topped with ghoul faces made out of crescent rolls (which were a big hit!) I also added a layered bean dip graveyard, mozzarella “eyeballs”, and homemade salsa “brains” to the equation. We ended up with a festive feast! It was a wonderful way to spend an October evening.


Our shows started up in Provo the second week of October, and our cast of misfits decided we should change things up a bit. We surprised/horrified our director with a gender/bender dress rehearsal! Our mixed up zombies started off the show, which then lead into Maidens with Frank heads and Bride Wigs. Probably one of the funniest sights I have seen!





The run in Provo was fabulous with another slew of sold out performances, including the 2pm matinee on Saturday. What a crazy group of characters.


After a Thursday night show we headed over to the Pendleton’s for some Halloween fun. The darling couple invited our entire cast to a spooky ghost-telling gathering at their Provo Townhouse. The delicacies included ghost pumpkin pudding, homemade dry-ice root beer, mummy weenies (which I provided) and an array of other Halloween treats. We sat outside under the beautiful stars and lights and told ghost stories, flashlight to the face and all.



Our shows in Provo closed on Saturday night, and rather than heading home Matt and I raced to the Salt Lake Airport and hopped on a red-eye to the BIG APPLE! Our quick trip to New York City centered on a 3-hour Cedar Lake intensive on Sunday, which was unreal. What a phenomenal experience. We made the most of our 24-hour trip by walking EVERYWHERE, going to see In the Heights, and eating a great dinner in Times Square.





After a delirious flight home from New York we had one day before we were on the road again. How did I spend my day? I WENT ON A DATE! Hooray. I met a cute boy and we hit the town. I had such a good time and we are still dating as we head into November, but the timing of our first date was probably not the best. I totally slept in the next morning when we were supposed to be driving down to Tuachan in St. George, Utah. Of course my cute carpool waited for me, but I got a speeding ticket trying to make up for the lost time so we were still late. Oh well, what can you do?

St. George was filled with fun and mischief. We added in a “Twilight” number that I helped choreograph, as well as the ever-popular “Marie Antoinette” where a guillotine is the center of attention. We decided Shauna looks like Professor Trelawney from Harry Potter! These three friends shown below are all a part of my sweet carpool.


We always get a bit antsy down in Tuachan and usually our energy is expelled in a fun prank. Last year it was truth or dare with some very funny outcomes and this year we had “The Great Gummy Napping of 2010!” John Boy, or wonderful clown, carried on a bag of these swirly gummy bears in the show and they actually got stolen in Park City out of his dressing room. Before one of the shows, two culprits snatched the bag and hid it in plain sight in the girl’s dressing room. After an interrogation and a hostage situation the clown finally spotted his prize.





On one of our last days in St. George a group of friends and I decided to take a hike… literally. We ended up hiking through “The Saddle” which is nestled up behind Tuachan, the theatre we perform at, and opens up into Snow Canyon. What a beautiful day and an awesome adventure!





The closing night show was one of the best days and nights of my life. A group of my family came to the show, my dad’s brother Bob and his wife Nancy (who I spent a lot of time with down at college) and my dad’s sister Barbara and her husband Rod (who I hadn’t seen for 8 YEARS!), and then of course my mom and dad. I cried when I saw the mini family reunion. We all went out to lunch and spent time together during the day before they came to my show. I could not have been more THRILLED!

What a way to spend a month. Quite an exciting time filled with friends, family, and adventure. Below are two of my favorite pictures taken by my favorite clown... John Boy. Thanks a bunch.