It's Pouring in NYC!

Hello all, Kurtis here with an update from the NYC chapter of the Family. It’s been quite a whirlwind of events since we last posted. We started off by closing the show Angels in America at the Signature Theatre, this show we had been working as subs. We then rolled strait into a very crazy time of life as Angels closed I went to work striking the show and loading in the next, The Illusion. At this time Mary began working overtime at the millinery where she was building hats for the Kentucky Derby. During this three week period Mary and I slept in the same bed, but that was about it. Just when we thought relief was in sight we received calls from the Signature Theatre asking for us to be a part of the crew for the last show of the season, The Illusion. So we rolled into our fifth straight 60-80 hour week. The old adage, “when it rains, it pours” has definitely held true for us here in NYC.

The Illusion ended up being a great opportunity for us for a couple of key reasons. One, three weeks in to the show, things started to slow down a bit and we were able to relax just a tad. Two, we were able to work together on a show, which is definitely something that we have enjoyed in the past, but had not been able to truly enjoy here. In the middle of the run, we returned to KS to visit – it never seems to be long enough as there are so many to spend time with. Ten weeks out from the start, The Illusion came to an end and we were on to the next thing. I had several opportunities pop up at the beginning of July which I grabbed hold of.

One day I received an early morning phone call from one of my freelance job bosses. This particular call was from Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet concerning a job opening. I was asked to apply and interview for the position of Technical Director. So after three nerve-wracking weeks I was offered the job and I gladly accepted. I am extremely excited about this opportunity. First off it gets me the chance to have a “normal job” with a title and benefits. Secondly and slightly selfishly there is the travel. This job comes with 15-18 week’s worth of touring, mostly international. This coming season will have me traveling through Germany, France, Italy, Serbia, England as well as some domestic dates. The final thing that this new job accomplishes is more time at home due to less free lance work. Hopefully, this also means a certain amount of being able to accomplish personal goals and balance in a way that I have not been able to in the recent past due to a lack of time at home.

Now, it’s just a matter of keeping our fingers crossed for Mary who has moved from hat making, to Off Broadway, to the Jersey Boys on Broadway. She went a week without work after our show closed, became an official resident of NY, and filed for unemployment. Since she can’t sit still long, she was off and working the second week, including a bit of time at Cedar Lake with me and leading to a phone interview this past week with the Blue Man Group for a full time, full benefits lead wardrobe position. This one will also be a lengthy wait as she has two more parts to the interview and another two weeks. She would really like to have this kind of a position also as it would allow us both to have some great balance and stability here.

We’ve been lucky enough to have many visitors to the city including Pam, Charles, Grandma Johnston, Hannah and James among other friends. It’s always fun to have people we know come visit as it encourages us to get out and see a few new things too. We look forward to having several more of you come to see us in the future if/when it becomes available!

For now, that’s a fair update of our lives – we’ll finish off the summer enjoying time with one another, a few short trips out and about and starting new jobs. Wishing you all the very best and sending love your way!!!