We Opened!

I'm so proud of being a part of the team that put together "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg." We opened Thursday with the Dinner Theater performance and had a show last night with the regular-seating configuration. This is, in some way, like having two openings, as those audiences tend to be very different one from the other. Both nights, audiences seemed to have nothing but good comments to give, at least to us. Also, both nights were almost sold out, something that is extremely flattering, even more so considering that our opening weekend coincides with other great artistic performances in town.
I have to admit that, months ago, when I first read Joe Egg (and fell in love with it) a part of me was a bit worried about how audiences will receive it. It is not your average, everyday show, not even if it gets misclassified it as simply a comedy or a drama. It is because of this that, whenever the comments I've heard range from "It's different, but good different" to "It's probably one of the best shows I've seen at TWO," I feel that I had little to worry about. It is easy to think, when you try to do something "weird" in a small town, that audiences may not be ready for it. The way Joe Egg has been embraced by our patrons shows that Owensboro audiences are much more mature than I ever thought.
How were the performances? I have nothing but praise to the cast and crew. The amount of work they've put in this production is huge, and it shows. After tech week (which basically means "after a full week of keeping families, jobs, and a play going every day") they managed to give impeccable performances both days. Fifteen minutes before they go on stage (right before they start their warm ups) any tired faces disappear and the level of energy in the green room is palpable. I'm just looking forward to see what will happen today, after everyone has gotten a full day of rest.
One of the members of the audience said to me on opening night "you have a lot to be proud of." He is absolutely right.