August 22, 2023
It’s hard to write this. The keys are blurry. The words are lost in the fog of exhaustion. The facts are all jumbled up with one another. And there is so much to say, so many to thank, it’s hard to know where to start.
After seven weeks and thirty performances, we just wrapped on the “Back From the Dead Tour” with a sold-out show at The Black Sheep in Ashland.
Closing strong in our hometown was sheer joy.
And thrilling as it was, that joy was tempered by the sadness of the tour coming to a close, because the last seven weeks performing Cthulhu: the Musical! all over the western US have been almost too wild and magical to describe.
In San Francisco, the line to get in to the show was a block long.
In Portland we almost had to stop the show as the cast burst into tears with joy from the audience singing along.
In Baker City someone wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper lambasting anyone who missed the show as failing the city at large.
And so much more.
We played dream venues, sold out most nights, played a stage Prince had played, ran out of t-shirts TWICE, had two emergency dental procedures and one dislocated shoulder, late-night beach parties, homemade meals from venue owners, handmade thank-you cards from the audience, oceanside camping, redwood hikes, too many gas station meals to count, and got mugged by a seagull in Olympia.
It was a rich and complex emotional stew that we were all over the moon to experience and can never be fully explained to anyone that wasn’t there.
When the performance at Black Sheep ended, we all hugged and cried in disbelief that it was over and that it had even happened at all.
And then we went out for late-night pizza to plan what comes next.
The answer? A rest.
But once that’s done, look out world, cause after a taste like that, we’re coming back for the whole damned thing.
Stay tuned. Cause we will be back with more after this break.
But until then, thanks to everyone that helped make this dream come true. The Mathews family, for their endless support. Gina and the whole team at Holocene for one of the best shows of our lives. Cynthia at Science Works in Ashland for the rehearsal space. Sean at Local 31 for letting us completely take the place over. Sharon from The Wheelhouse for letting us camp in her yard. The Chetco Pelican Players for being such tireless boosters of our weird little troupe. Calder at NCRT for being a total mensch. Heather at The Dip for the wireless sound wisdom. AJ and the crew at Harlows for the total professionalism. The team at Sierra Stages and the Nevada City Theater for gifting us with the opportunity to play in such a beautiful, and historic venue; a stage that f#$%ing Mark Twain used to speak on is definitely a level-up for us. The gang at Good Luck Macbeth for going along with our weird traveling theater scheme. The Bottom of the Hill just for letting us in the door to such a storied venue. Wendy from the JCA for that killer lasagna. Trent and Britt at Johnny B’s for schlepping pianos back and forth to make room for more seating. Marcus and Joanne at the Grand Vic for their unmatched enthusiasm. The bartender at Whirled Pies who got stuck working alone for a packed show and killed it. Maeve at The Crypt who bent over backwards to make the show happen. Terry at the Labor Temple for being the one to bring us back from Covid death with her entreaties to play her venue. Leddy at Chop Suey for making it our best trip to Seattle ever, and not batting an eye when the show ran three hours from so much off-script improv. Brian at the Churchill School for the unbelievable hospitality. Chris at La Grande HQ for the courage to build a scene off the beaten path, and for inviting us in. Sam at Visual Arts Collective for going the extra mile to make the show great. Emma at the Infinity Room for great vegan grub. Jen at the Whiteside Theater for treating us like bigshots with real hotel rooms instead of friends couches. The Linkville Players for letting us take the place over like an invading horde. Daniel at the Sunnyside Theater for one of the best-sounding shows we’ve ever played. Clarinda at Black Sheep in Ashland, for not just rearranging the entire place for our show, but even helping us load in. And the countless other friends, family members, partners, venue staffers, and helpful folks that supported us along the way.
And most of all: thanks to you. A show is nothing without an audience, and we continue to be gifted with the best audiences around.
Hope to see ya’ll, again soon!
—Alex and Alyssa and Aubry and Dan and Forest and Hunter and Jake and Joel and Josh and Katy and Mads
Meet the 2023 “Cthulhu: the Musical!” cast and crew here.