Opening night was awesome! — Jessica Lynn Carroll

Well, we're open, and what a great opening night it was! Everything clicked along like it should, and we as a cast were so proud of the show.

At the opening night party, we were able to recognize all of the fantastic design work on this show. The artistic director mentioned that this was viewed as "an actor's show" (which it is), but the push that we get from the lights, sound, and costumes to tell the story is invaluable in a play that sometimes seems designed to confuse the audience. Big kudos to the design team for all your work!

Our gorgeous set from Nina Ball, lights from Kurt Landisman.

On that note, I got to spend a little time talking with the show's painter and builder. I just had to gush over the work they did on our set -- painting and constructing the beautiful design from Nina Ball, the set designer, must have been a big job. I was told those chairs alone took five layers of paint! Also, the checkered floor has an optical illusion effect when you're on stage. I never know where center might be (which sort of seems appropriate for this play that has everything and everyone changing at such a quick pace). I would never NEVER have been able to figure out how to paint it. Four squares in and I would have quit. I reckon I'll stick to the acting!

I do like my craft projects, though, as long as they're small scale. So I always like to make little art projects for opening night gifts. This time I made a tiny place setting for everyone. I'm really happy with how they turned out! With eight people in the cast, the opening night notes and presents were actually quite a haul. Everyone was so creative and thoughtful -- it just goes to show what a lovely ensemble we have in this play.

Next post: I'm gonna show you some pictures of this crazy script and explain why talking like we do in real life is actually REALLY HARD.