Day Four: Opening Show in Arkansas

We opened the show today! There were two shows today, both to packed in houses full of children. I get it now, when people say that children's theater is their favorite kind of theater. They respond so honestly and so emphatically. They like it or not, whatever emotion strikes them, that's what the response seems to be. It was great to finally do the show for the intended audience. It was also such a beautiful theater that we performed in, and huge!
The cast is planning on having some kind of opening celebration later on this evening, Rachel and I are going to take naps right now.
I am writing the rest of this post the morning after. So for our opening night celebrations we all went out for drinks. Or so we thought. The group had decided to leave at 7:30 and half of the group was under the impression that we were going to go get dinner as well as drinks. We didn't know exactly where we were going and someone at a gas station along the way told us to go to the electric cowboy. After driving around for what seemed like hours, we finally found the place. I was in the van with Kennan, Kalia, Will, Emilly, RJ, Amazing and Trey. Half of our van was incredibly frightened by this place because it was 1. A bar in the "deep south" (we're in Arkansas) 2. It was a straight bar 3. It looked like a biker bar.
I wanted to go in and see what the place was like and while everyone debated weather or not they were going to go in, Rachel and I went to use the bathroom inside. There was ridiculous security in place to get in, I actually had my license scanned through a machine and my photo taken. But the actual bar was great, and it was HUUUGE. it had a two-stepping dance floor, pool tables, wall length bar and a mechanical bull! I am hoping a group of people want to go there this evening after the show because I think everyone will have a fun time.
Our cast is so afraid of this state! It's incredible to me that they don't recognize THEIR fears and insecurities about people who are "different" in this place. So instead of going to a local bar where there may have been trouble we went to Friday's. NOW, this establishment is filled with the EXACT SAME PEOPLE as the other bar, but for some reason we are comforted by the brand name.
Something was just brought to my attention, one of us has a fake ID. That's why one of us didn't want to go in. But the other stuff still exists. So, after we got to Friday's we ate drank and were merry. It was a fun time there, lots of laughter and getting to know each other. Then we went home and hung out and eventually passed out. I was real drunk by the time I went to sleep. But I got up incredibly early anyway, I think I'm getting over the beverages of the evening slowly.

Arkansas smelled like berries this morning.