How can it have only been two weeks? It feels like it’s been years since we arrived in Tennessee. Time seems to expand when you don’t have a set routine. That being said, being home in Memphis was exactly the recharge I needed to continue on this adventure!

Memphis, TN

Population: 652,236

We arrived back in Memphis on Valentine’s Day (perfect because I’m in love with my city), pulling up to my parents’ house in our 16’ box truck. My Aunt Tracy and Uncle Steve were in town (all the way from Boca Raton, FL) to see my show and also to see my Dad in Sweat! It was a full family reunion. That night, Hugh and I stayed in a townhouse downtown, right on South Main St. We had an amazing view of the street and got to fall asleep to drunks and trolleys rattling by. #Memphisaf. I took him to one of my favorite spots, South of Beale, for fancy cocktails and duck fried rice. I showed him the roof of the Peabody Hotel where the ducks sleep and where you get an awesome view of the city. It was a magical night of vomit-inducing sweetness, and I am so happy I got to share such a lovely night with a person I care about in the city I love.

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On Friday, the company taught workshops in several schools across the city (Kipp Academy, Sherwood Elementary, and Kingsbury High School). It felt good to be able to give back to some of the students in Memphis, and I hope that the Players can return to Memphis next year for even more workshops. This was the first time this tour that the Players taught classes of almost entirely African American students. Since our mission is to bring theatre and education to places and people in need, I am surprised that we don’t see more racial diversity on our tour. Memphis is a city steeped in racial strife. I am glad some of our company members had the opportunity to meet students with widely different life experience from their own. Some of our company even made a journey to the National Civil Rights Museum, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

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Friday night, the company met up with former National Player and current General Director of Opera Memphis, Ned Canty! Ned and his wife Karen are incredibly generous people. They took the company out for some good old-fashioned Memphis BBQ at Central BBQ downtown. While stuffing our faces, Ned regaled us with tales from his time with the National Players: Tour 45. You’re telling me that the National Players used to use WALKIE TALKIES to communicate between vehicles?? They used to have to navigate themselves using MAPS?! (Ned said that this often led to getting terrible lost on the way to venues.) The Players used to room FOUR TO A ROOM?! Man, we think we have a hard job… This job is nothing compared to what it used to be. Ned was also Company Manager, so it was great to talk to him about his own challenges on the road. One time, he led his company through the night over snow-covered mountains, where a vehicle almost went over a cliff, in order to get to a performance on time. Now that’s what I call DEADication! Thank you for the tasty food and great stories, Ned!

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We loaded in to the Halloran Centre Saturday morning, performed The Crucible twice, and then did strike and packed the truck—all in one day! It was pretty surreal getting to perform in the space that I worked in for 2+ years. It was like being back in my second home. I loved getting to show everyone the Orpheum stage. Seeing people see that gorgeous theatre for the first time is one of my favorite things. Deidre and I shared the Orpheum stage again since we performed there together in the High School Musical Theatre Awards back in 2012! Seven years later, and here we are again. Walking through the Orpheum was bittersweet. It was hard to leave, not knowing when I’d be back again.

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We had two SOLD OUT performances of The Crucible!

Some of our audience members included:

-My Mom, Dad, Rae, Gabe, Aunt Tracy, & Uncle Steve—YES Boller/Wasserman Clan!

-Deidre’s parents, Ron & Doretha (some of the greatest humans in Memphis)

-The entire Deidre Staples Fan Club! (I got a button with her face on it that I now wear proudly on my jean jacket)

-Jen McGrath, VP of Edu at the Orpheum and all-around amazing human being

-Analyse Capodiferro!! ❤ my amazing friend whom I miss dearly

-Kevin Cochran! A talented friend I have known since I was 17.

-Noelle Chaddock and her daughter Morgan Celeste Paley! I had no idea they were coming, and seeing these two amazing women made me want to cry.

-Louise Levin, a wonderful actress and friend

-Several friends of CJ Riggs’ from Belhaven University

-Rebecca Dzida (she does so much work for the Players back at Olney) came to hang out with us in Memphis! I love her.

-Ned and Karen Canty!

-Adanna Paul’s cousin!

-Emily Dalton’s pal!

-A whole busload of students from Halls, TN, who had studied The Crucible and were SO excited to take their picture with us.

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Needless to say, these audiences were FILLED with love and support. They were our best Crucible audiences yet. They laughed and cried with us. I can’t imagine feeling more loved in my hometown. It meant so much to me to share this with my family and my company.

https://m.memphisflyer.com/memphis/the-crucible-at-the-halloran-centre/Content?oid=19355631&fbclid=IwAR2qiQB6e-5-Je6ctoisql2cGJMEYPL8rw1ALCeDdLKIoURJBvt4dC9gDrk

Our last day in Memphis, my sister Rae and her boyfriend Gabe hosted the most delicious brunch I’ve ever had. It was so nice to talk about the show, eat amazing food, and hold my baby boy Woolf.  Leaving was hard, but I’m not done with you yet, Memphis.

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Now on to the lame Tennessee city…

Nashville, TN

Population: 691,243

Nashville is like Memphis’s richer, whiter, cowboy boot-wearin’ step-sibling. We arrived at our Airbnb on Monday—it was part of a complex filled with white townhouses, all with rooftop decks. Ours was beautiful and, like the rest of Nashville it seems, couldn’t have been more than two years old. Most of the restaurants and bars I visited in town gave me that Stepford wife/Yuppie vibe.

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That being said, I had an incredible time at our venue in Nashville. We performed The Crucible for a week at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), aka—The Orpheum’s arch-nemesis. Unfortunately, I am a traitor to where I used to work, because I loved the people at TPAC. The crew and education contact were some of the kindest people we have met on the road. We had such an excellent time with them in this gorgeous space. Additionally, the student audiences were brilliant. They were so engaged, and we heard more vocalizations in this space than we ever have for The Crucible. We had some really intimate, thoughtful Q&A sessions with several student groups.

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Some Smart Student Remarks/Questions I Remember:

-Do any of you relate to your characters? How do you play them if you can’t relate? (This is a great one for this show, especially playing a role like Abigail who is often considered “the villain.”)

-What have you learned about mass hysteria and groupthink by working on this production? (Oh man, I can’t judge what a person will do when they’re afraid anymore)

-I noticed you all played the women much stronger and more defiant than other prouctions I have seen. Are you playing them more modern? (An amazing thing to observe—how can you play against the oppression your character is facing, rather than give in to the self-pity and emotion?)

-How do you prepare to go onstage in such emotionally draining roles? (After we finish our technical duties, you mean? It’s hard not to drown in emotion in this show. I try to walk onstage as a blank page, knowing what I want and ready to let others affect me. If emotions show up, cool.)

We had so much free time to explore Nashville. I managed to make it to some amazing restaurants—I had ramen at Otaku Ramen twice, and I am not ashamed. I also made it to Parnassus Books, a neat bookstore I had been recommended. Unfortunately, I was suffering a flare up of my ulcerative colitis symptoms this week, so I was laid up in bed most of the time. It’s hard to choose to rest when you’re in a new place and just want to get out and experience new things. I’m lucky to have friends who take care of me, both emotionally and physically, when I am in pain. Special thanks to Hugh for showing me some magic tricks to make me smile and for never letting me fall into my pain-induced despair alone.

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I finally feel like I may be on the upswing of this flare (knockonwood) as we drive to Louisville, Kentucky. We have a day off there, and then we head to Frankfort to perform.

So long for now, Tennessee! You (and, quite literally, my company) are The Only Ten I See…

Your Dear Lady Disdain,

Jamie