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making a scene

Weekly Update 005: Here I Go...

Writer's picture: Mychal LeverageMychal Leverage

Updated: Feb 12, 2024


01/29/24 - 02/04/24

...and there's no turning back.

My great adventure has begun.

I may be small

but I've got giant plans

to shine as brightly as the sun.

...

I'll be ASTONISHING...

at last.


“Now it starts.” After just two and a half weeks of rehearsal, we are finally in Kentucky! Later today, we start the long awaited tech week leading up to our opening performance this Saturday at the RiverPark Center in Owensboro. Ahhhhhhh!



Between now and our last rehearsal Wednesday, I had three days off to quietly reflect on just how fast this process has flown by. I took a day and a half to pack my entire life into some suitcases (see Bhaer Necessities, from last Friday), but otherwise it’s been a pretty relaxed weekend. I’ve allowed myself permission to be a potato and get my fill of playing video games, at least nonstop Fallout 4 since I won’t have access to my X-Box for a while.


ALSO, Heidi and the team behind Class of ’69 were gracious enough to let me sit in on one of their final rehearsals before their invited reading. I won’t dwell too much on what I thought of the show because it’ll be a lot of gushy “My wife is so talented, her French accent is sexy,” and so forth. It was definitely a lot of fun to finally see what she’s been working on the last three months. I’m extremely proud of her for everything she’s accomplished.


I’m an anxious person - not sure if that’s obvious yet - and I tend to have trouble sleeping before a day of traveling. Heidi and I got home a little before midnight from the city, and I couldn’t fall asleep until about 5 AM. I rolled out of bed at 6:40, thanks to Heidi’s expert handling of the monster we call Sleepy Mychal. I said goodbye to Atticus, and we set out for LaGuardia airport. It was pouring rain, but thankfully we were on the road stupid early on a Sunday, so there was hardly any traffic.  It was honestly surreal, not only finally driving the five miles myself to get across Manhattan, but taking the Lincoln tunnel, the way I first arrived in New York City almost seven years ago. I’ve come a long way, and have so much farther to go.




Heidi and I said a very teary eyed goodbye at the airport, and we’ve made every promise to stay connected to each other during this first leg of the tour. We’re talking on the phone every day no matter what, and I’m going to write her letters each week. We’re also planning on watching Doctor Who together while we're apart, transcending time and space. I'm still toying around with establishing regular activities we could do together, like playing JackBox Games or creative writing exercises (writing competitions, really). Being so far away from the reason I’m alive is going to have its challenges, and I’ll take whatever I can get to feel close to her.



The flight to Kentucky was pretty uneventful. I normally go through a series of agitated shifts in pastimes; I’ll try reading, then turn to gaming, maybe watch some TV, start writing something, and that'll get me to just before take off. This time, I actually slept pretty soundly the entire first flight! We were in the Charlotte, North Carolina airport for about four minutes before we had to book it to our next flight.

Up in the air I started reading The Eye of the World and I am loving it, but once we got settled on our bus for Owensboro, I passed out almost immediately. Mind you, by the time we got to our hotel the last thing I ate was Chipotle the night before, so I was not the happiest of travel companions. I threw my bags in my room, and lead a hungry parade of theatre actors down Second Street toward Mellow Mushroom; no pizza in the history of the universe ever tasted so good.


More next week about how tech and our first performance went, and where we go from here! Later this week, I'll be putting out my first official "Between the Lines," and then my very first "Limelight." Yesterday was a buffer day, a trial-by-discomfort, but I'm optimistic I'll improve by eating and sleeping better, at least for the next four days. Wish me luck!


And scene.

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2 Comments


esgargoes4
Jan 29, 2024

Safe travels Mychal! These are exciting & hard things!! Being in a show is exciting! Being away from your bride is hard. Take care of yourself…sleep, hydrate, take care of your voice (you knew that was coming, right?!) I am planning to catch one of the CA performances! Remember, you’re a gem. ❤️

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Mychal Leverage
Mychal Leverage
Jan 29, 2024
Replying to

And we know what gems do: they SPARKLE! Thanks so much Val, I hope you and Greg get a chance to see it. Knowing I have your support from AZ goes a long way.

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