Day 9: Journey to Scotland

Today was our 2nd performance of Under the Influence.  At least our curtain was a little later in the morning at 11:25 am.  We were worried about the cast being able to call up the emotion and characterization needed to portray their roles, but as usual, the cast went to their rituals and stayed in their zone from the dorms to the Spaces@Surgeons Hall.

We had about 40 people in the audience today with the majority coming from El Camino High School in San Diego.  We also had a former resident of Hawaii, Nalani Olds Simpson, attend the show.  Nalani has been living in Scotland for quite some time and was also classmates with Christian's stepmom and we were honored to have Nalani and her family attend our show.

As for the performance, again, some amazing work by the students.  Some of the cast members actually gave their best performance to date.  Some very positive comments again from audience members.

We then went back to dorm for lunch and then attended a production of Nunsense by Nipomo High School.  What a performance!  The comedic timing, the vocals, and the improvisation by the cast was superb.  We had a great time.

We returned back to the dorms for dinner and much needed rest.

 Cast staying in their "zone" waiting to enter the theatre to perform.

Day 8: Journey to Scotland: NPAC Premieres at the Fringe

Today was the big day . . . our Fringe premiere of Under the Influence.  The curtain for the show was at 9:25 am, a very early time for such an intense play.  The cast met at 7:30 am to warmup and go through rituals; however the area we were going to use was closed, so we moved to the entrance of the cafeteria.  No problem as the majority of people going to eat breakfast were part of the AHSTF festival so they understood what we were doing.


Then it was onto the bus to take us to The Grand Theatre at The Spaces at Surgeons Hall.  The odd thing is that a school from Massachusetts was going to be our audience and they too were riding the bus.  When we arrived at the Spaces, we had to wait till 9:00, to get in which left us about 20 minutes to get everything ready and to adjust lights.  As the audience entered, we gave out shell leis and welcomed them to the show.


To say that the cast was nervous would be an understatement.  But they hit it out of the park!  It was probably the best overall performance of Under for the cast.  After the play, students and the director from the Massachusetts school gave very positive comments.  It was also great to have Maura Okamoto (one of our supporters from Hawaii), her sister, Tricia, who lives in Edinburgh, and the Sinclair's who befriended NPAC on a vacation in Hawaii and drove for two hours to make the early morning performance.


We then returned to the dorms to rest and have lunch till our scheduled time on a small stage on the Royal Mile to advertise our show.  We walked to the Royal Mile and looked for our stage, but found that we were not listed on the schedule.  A bit disappointed, we decided to do some spontaneous performances on the street.  But we found another stage that let us do a 10 minute performance of chant and hula.  We then got a slot on another stage for the same and was given another slot and then another, then another, then another.  We performed a chant, hula, Sam's monologue, and I Want You Back in the various slots.  During this time we worked the crowd again, passing out show cards and colored leis.  Funny, we didn't realize many people do not know what a lei is . . . you always learn.


After our performances, it was getting a bite to eat and on to the Military Tattoo show.  It was a spectacle with hundreds of bagpipers, bands, and various other entertainment with the Edinburgh Castle as a backdrop.  BUT IT WAS FREEZING COLD!  Tali was the only one who seemed comfortable with the cold, but the rest of us were frozen.  We then worked our way amongst the crowd and returned to the dorms.


Tomorrow is our 2nd performance at 11:25 am, a bit more manageable.  But with the positive reviews even after we returned to our dorms, expectations may be higher.  But I know the cast will meet the challenge.